YuGiOh! GX: Strawberry Crisis
by Count Morningstar
Summary: Jaden Yuki finds himself on an island with three elite all-girl Duel Academies and discovers a dark power that may destroy the world. Full summary inside.
1. Welcome To Astraea Island

**Summary:** Forced into doing a favor for Maximillion Pegasus, Jaden Yuki finds himself on Astraea Island, an island home to three prim and proper all girl Duel Academies. As Jaden spends time on the island, he learns of a few of the secrets of some of the students, and also discovers a dark and terrible power that may tear the island, and perhaps the world itself, completely apart.

**Setting:** Takes place not too long after the events of the GX anime.

**Author's Note:** I got the idea for this story after reading part of another fanfic that kinda did the same thing and had the three Astraea Hill schools as Duel Academies. I've taken things a step further with this story though and just crashed the Strawberry Panic universe into the main Yu-Gi-Oh! universe. Now this story is actually complete, I finished it late last year and posted it on . Just because it's finished though, doesn't mean I'm going to give you the whole thing right now. I've decided to submit this story one chapter at a time so I can polish it off a little. So you'll be seeing this story in installments. I can't tell you how often I'll submit each chapter, as I'm also working on a few other projects (like that Digimon story I'm writing), but I'll try not to make everyone wait too long.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

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><p>Chapter 1: Welcome to Astraea Island<p>

The noonday sun hung high over the lonely dirt road Jaden Yuki was walking on. He still had half a day's walk ahead of him before arriving at the next town. He was starting to grow tired of walking and decided to go ahead and take a break for lunch. Jaden walked off the road and headed for a nearby tree. After putting down his duffle bag, he removed the sleeping cat, Pharaoh. The large orange-tan and brown-stripped cat seemed put out with Jaden for disturbing his nap, but that would change in a moment.

Next, Jaden pulled out a can of cat food, a can opener, and Pharaoh's food dish. In mere moments, Jaden filled the dish with food and the former Slifer Red dorm mascot eagerly began to eat up. While Pharaoh enjoyed his midday meal, Jaden placed the cat's water dish on the ground and filled it with water from a canteen. His cat taken care of, Jaden began to prepare his own meager lunch. The life of a wandering pro-duelist had its downsides, but it was still fun.

"Still planning on entering that small town tournament?" Jaden suddenly heard a feminine voice ask.

Jaden looked up and saw the ghostly form of Yubel standing in front of him with her arms crossed.

"It'll be a nice change from that big pro tournament we were just in." Jaden replied. "A lot of the amateur duelists have way more fun than a lot of the pro-duelists in the big tournaments. Some of those guys take the game way too seriously."

"I guess so." The Duel Monster spirit replied. "Still, you're way more powerful than a lot of those small town duelists. Doesn't seem fair to them. Not that I'm judging, of course."

"Ehh, me beating them gives them something to strive for." Jaden replied before taking a bite out of the sandwich he had just prepared.

Suddenly, a heavy wind had picked up, accompanied by a loud whirling noise. The occurrence startled Pharaoh from his meal and into the tree Jaden was sitting under. Jaden looked up and saw the source of the disturbance. It was a Large, white helicopter, which was landing a few feet away from where Jaden had stopped to eat. Jaden saw the logo, I2 printed on the side. It was an Industrial Illusions helicopter.

As soon as the helicopter landed and the rotors stopped spinning, the helicopter door opened and a man in a black suit and sunglasses stepped out, followed by another man who was followed closely by another man dressed in identical clothing. The two men stood at the sides of the open door, allowing a third man in a red suit to exit the vehicle. The red suited man had long, shoulder length grey hair that covered the left side of his face. Jaden knew that it was none other than Maximillion J. Pegasus, the creator of Duel Monsters.

"Ah, Jaden my boy!" Pegasus greeted with a huge grin. "So nice to see you again. You have no idea how hard it was to find you."

"Uh, hi Mr. Pegasus." A surprised Jaden replied. "What brings you here?"

"Well, I need you to do me a little favor." Pegasus replied with a smile that seemed to hide a hidden motive.

"What kind of favor?" Jaden asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll explain in the helicopter." Pegasus replied, his arm gesturing towards the vehicle that had landed only moments ago.

After Pegasus' bodyguards helped Jaden pack up his things and get Pharaoh out of the tree, which took about thirty minutes, Jaden was in the air, heading for an unknown destination.

"So… what's this favor you want me to do for you?" a nervous Jaden asked Pegasus, who was sitting right across from him on the helicopter.

Pegasus took a short sip from his wine glass, looked out the window of the helicopter for a moment, and then looked back at Jaden.

"Tell me my boy," Pegasus began, "have you ever heard of Astraea Island?"

Jaden thought for a moment. The name did sound familiar to him, but he couldn't place it.

"I think so but I'm not sure." Jaden replied.

"Ah, well let me tell you about it." Pegasus began. "Astraea Island is home to three very elite all girl duel academies."

Suddenly, Jaden remembered where he had first heard the name of the island. A few years ago, Jaden's friend Alexis had mentioned an island with some kind of fancy, all girl duel academies. Alexis had told him that she would've liked to attend one of those schools, but Jaden told her that she was better off in the academy she was already attending.

"There are three schools," Pegasus continued, "Miator, Spica, and Lulim. All three schools are run by the same head mistress, and are dedicated to training young women in the art of elegance and dueling."

"I remember my friend Alexis mentioning this island to me once." Jaden said, still not understanding what it was that Pegasus wanted from him.

"I've been invited to observe the students at all three academies." Pegasus explained. "The head mistress there wants to show me what her students are made of."

"What's this have to do with me?" a confused Jaden asked.

"Well…" Pegasus began, a mischievous smile forming on his face. "The head mistress also wanted to see how her students would do against a pro-duelist. So, I decided to bring you with me so that you could show these girls what a pro-duelist is made of."

Jaden suddenly wanted to jump out of the helicopter. It wasn't because he didn't want to duel any of these students. That actually sounded fun. It was the idea of being shown off at a bunch of snobby all girl duel academies.

"Um… Mr. Pegasus, I'm kinda flattered and all, but isn't there someone else you could show off to this head mistress, like Aster, or Jessie, or Syrus?" Jaden asked, hoping for a way out.

"Oh, come now Jaden, we both know that you're as good as any of them." Pegasus said enthusiastically. "Besides, it's been so long since I've heard about any of your duels. I want to see how good you've become with my own eyes, or eye rather."

Pegasus then moved the hair in front of his face, revealing the empty eye socket that once housed the Millennium Eye. This caused an expression of disgust to appear on Jaden's face. Pegasus chuckled as he recovered his face with his hair. After about five hours, the helicopter landed at its destination. As Jaden and Pegasus left the helicopter, they were greeted by an older women wearing a black dress, her hair done up in a bun. The woman had a smile on her face, which Jaden found encouraging.

"Ah, Mr. Pegasus I presume." Greeted the woman as she walked up to the new arrivals.

"Oh, you must be the head mistress." Pegasus said as he shook the woman's hand. "This is the duelist I told you about, Jaden Yuki."

"Uh, hi" Jaden said with a touch of nervousness as he waved his hand in greeting. Jaden did not like the position that Pegasus had put him in.

"Hmm… He looks strong." The head mistress said, as she looked Jaden over. "I'll be interested to see how he does in tonight's duel against the Etoile."

"Etoile?" Jaden asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The Etoile is the strongest duelist on the island young man." The head mistress explained. "She also serves as a mediator between the three schools and helps to coordinate most of the interschool activities, and help with other administrative matters that I'm sure a young man like you would find quite boring."

"Oh…" Jaden replied, suddenly feeling a little excited at the prospect of facing the strongest duelist on the whole island.

"Jaden, why don't you go explore the island for a few hours?" Pegasus suggested. "It might be a good idea to stretch your legs for a bit after such a long helicopter trip. Plus you might find an opponent you could use as a warm-up for tonight's duel."

"That's not a bad idea." Jaden replied, thinking that a walk might help him to unwind a bit.

"Just remember to be at Miator before sunset young man." The head mistress told Jaden.

"Don't worry, I won't." Jaden said as he bowed to the head mistress before turning to leave.

After walking for about half an hour, Jaden found himself in a lush forest. It reminded him very much of the forest around the academy he went to. The only thing different was the huge crystal clear lake. The beautiful scenery helped Jaden take his mind off the rather uncomfortable position that Pegasus had put him in. Of all the young pro-duelists out there, Jaden still couldn't figure out why Pegasus had picked him do this little favor? The worst part of it was that Pegasus didn't even ask, he just assumed that Jaden would do this favor.

After about what seemed like a few hours staring at the lake, Jaden decided that it was time to head for this Miator academy. Unfortunately, Jaden had no idea which direction Miator was in. Jaden wandered around the forest for what seemed like another hour until he came across something that made him stop. A few feet from where he was standing was a young woman, probably only a few years younger than Jaden. She had long silver hair done in sort of a ponytail. Her skin was milky white, and she had piercing golden eyes. The young woman wore a long-sleeved black dress that had a skirt that ended just above the knees. Beneath the skirt, she wore tight black pants and a pair of black shoes with gold buckles. Underneath the shirt portion of the dress was a frilled white shirt, and a green tie was around the girl's neck. On her left arm was a duel disk. It was the same design as Jaden's, but the colors were different. This duel disk was mint-green with pink trim.

_'I have to admit, this girl's kinda pretty,'_ Jaden thought to himself, _'not as pretty as Alexis, but… wait. Where did THAT come from?'_

Jaden shook off the random thought that entered his head. Just as he was about to walk up to the girl and ask her for directions, another girl emerged from around the tree the silver haired girl was standing next to. This girl was shorter and had red hair and reddish-brown eyes, and she was wearing an identical uniform and duel disk as the silver haired girl. Jaden realized that they had to be from the same academy. As the redhead looked at the taller silver haired girl, Jaden saw a very noticeable blush appear on the redhead's face. Jaden wondered if the girl was sick or something.

"I'm no expert, but it looks like we have a case of love at first sight." Yubel said as she suddenly appeared next to Jaden.

"What do you mean?" a confused Jaden asked. Yubel merely shook her head and chuckled at how her human companion could still be so naïve.

As Jaden looked at Yubel in confusion, trying to figure out what the Duel Monster was talking about, the silver haired girl walked up to the redhead. Suddenly, the silver haired girl took the redhead into her arms, startling her. The taller girl then began moving her face closer to the redhead's until they were only inches apart. This caused the redhead to faint. The redhead's gasp caught Jaden's attention.

"Is something wrong here?" Jaden asked in a concerned tone as he emerged from his hiding place.

Startled, the silver haired girl quickly but gently laid the unconscious redhead on the ground behind her. She than positioned herself in front of the redhead to face Jaden, shooting him an icy glare. Jaden suddenly realized that he was on an island with girl only duel academies, so a guy suddenly popping out of the woods would be the last thing any of the students there would expect.

"Who are you and what do you want?" the silver haired girl demanded.

"Uh… I'm not here to hurt you." Jaden replied nervously, raising his hands in surrender. "I was just trying to find my way to Miator. Is that girl alright?"

"She's fine!" the silver haired girl replied, not letting her guard down. "Why are you looking for Miator? More importantly, what are you doing on this island?"

"Uh, I'm a guest here." Jaden replied. "I came with Mr. Pegasus."

"Oh." the silver haired girl replied, finally letting her guard down. "I heard that Mr. Pegasus was bringing some kind of pro-duelist with him to the island."

Jaden began to relax a little. The last thing he wanted was to be branded as some kind of pervert.

"If you're looking for Miator, it's that way." The silver haired girl said, pointing her arm in the direction to Jaden's right.

"Uh, thanks." Jaden replied as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. The silver haired girl looked down at the unconscious redhead, a rather predatory smile appearing on her face.

"You think you could do me a favor and take this pretty young girl with you?" the silver haired girl asked. "I'd gladly do it myself, but I unfortunately have somewhere else to be, and you seem trustworthy enough."

"Sure, no problem." Jaden responded. He was glad that this mystery girl didn't think he was a pervert.

"Thanks." The silver haired mystery girl replied as she turned and walked away, leaving Jaden alone the unconscious redhead.

"It looks like that girl has broken a few hearts." Yubel said as she suddenly reappeared. "I kinda like her, actually."

"Broken hearts? What're you talking about?" a confused Jaden asked. Again, Yubel chuckled at how Jaden could be so clueless.

"Excuse me, are you Jaden Yuki?" a voice from behind asked.

Jaden turned and saw another girl with dark-blue eyes and blue hair that was tied back in a large white bow. She was wearing a uniform identical to the ones the silver haired mystery girl and the unconscious redhead were wearing.

"That's me." Jaden replied.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tamao Suzumi." The bluenette said as she bowed her head. "Mr. Pegasus was afraid you had gotten lost, so I was sent to find you. Oh dear, what happened here?"

Jaden realized that Tamao was talking about the redhead who fainted a few minutes ago. The bluenette went over to check on the fainted girl.

"She just fainted for some reason." Jaden said, replying to Tamao's earlier question. "I think she might be sick or something."

"Hmm… she doesn't have a fever." Tamao said as she checked the unconscious girl's forehead with the back of her hand. "Still, we better get her to the nurse's office at Miator."

After a short walk, with Jaden carrying the fainted redhead in his arms, Jaden and Tamao arrived at Miator. The nurse found nothing wrong with the redhead, it seemed she had just fainted. Tamao and Jaden waited around for the girl to wake up. Tamao sat by the redhead's bedside, while Jaden leaned against the far wall of the room so he wasn't too noticeable. After about fifteen minutes of waiting, the redhead finally regained consciousness.

"Huh? Where am I?" the redhead asked as she slowly began to sit up.

"It's alright, you're in the nurse's office at Miator." Tamao informed the redhead. "I'm Tamao Suzumi, and that's Jaden Yuki. We found you passed out in the forest and brought you here."

"Oh… my name is Nagisa Aoi." The redhead said, introducing herself.

"Ah, you're the new transfer student." Tamao exclaimed, realizing where she heard the name before. "I was actually sent to look for you too. You and I are supposed to be dorm mates."

"I see…" Nagisa replied, feeling a bit confused. "Where's that other girl?"

"Other girl?" Tamao asked, not knowing what the redhead was talking about.

"You mean that silver haired girl?" Jaden asked. "She left just before Tamao showed up."

"Silver haired girl?" Tamao asked, looking at Jaden. "I wonder if… no, it couldn't be."

Both Jaden and Nagisa gave Tamao inquiring looks, wondering if Tamao knew whom the silver haired mystery girl was.

"Uh… never mind, forget I said anything." Tamao said with an innocent smile. "Uh, Mr. Yuki, perhaps you should go to the Head mistress's office. I believe that Mr. Pegasus is waiting for you there."

Jaden shrugged, gave both girls a simple wave, and left.

A few hours passed, and Jaden was in the grand dinning room of Miator, attending a huge banquette. Part of the purpose of the banquette was to celebrate the beginning of another year at the academy and welcome new students, but it served another purpose as well. The banquette was also being held to welcome Pegasus to the island. Jaden felt very out of place at the banquette. The food was good, but there were so many forks on the table in front of him that Jaden felt like the table might explode if he used the wrong one. Jaden was never a big fan of fancy parties, though he was thankful that at least he didn't have to wear anything like a tuxedo. Jaden came to the banquette wearing his usual outfit, which consisted of a black t-shirt, dark-blue jeans, red and black sneakers, and his old Slifer Red jacket.

As Jaden looked around the room, he saw that at least everyone else seemed to be having a better time than he was. Pegasus was chatting with the head mistress, and they both seemed to be having a blast. Not too far away from the head table where he was sitting, Jaden saw two of the girls he had met earlier in the day, Nagisa and Tamao. Both girls were also enjoying the party, especially Nagisa, when the dessert course came. Her eyes went as wide as saucers and her mouth hung open as the slice of cake was placed in front of her.

A few minutes after everyone had finished eating, the head mistress rose from her chair and gently but loudly tapped the side of her glass, signaling that she was about to speak. After a few moments, everyone had quieted down and the head mistress began her speech.

"Welcome students of Miator Duel Academy." The head mistress began. "As I look out over this crowd tonight, I see many new faces, and many old ones. This year, I am pleased to welcome a special guest to Astaea Island, the chairman of Industrial Illusions and the very creator of Duel Monsters, Maximillion Pegasus."

The crowd applauded as Pegasus stood up.

"Hello young ladies of Miator!" Pegasus began enthusiastically. "I thank you for all that wonderful applause. I was both honored and thrilled when your head mistress invited me to your wonderful island. So thrilled in fact, that I brought a special guest of my own. Please give a warm Miator welcome to one of the top graduates of the Kaiba Corp Duel Academy, Jaden Yuki."

Jaden smiled a bit nervously and waved as the crowed applauded him. Pegasus sat down, allowing the head mistress to speak again.

"In honor of this occasion," the head mistress began, "I have decided to hold a special duel between Mr. Jaden Yuki, and Astraea Island's own Etoile, Ms. Shizuma Hanazono."

The announcement caused the crowed to applaud even louder than when they applauded Pegasus and Jaden.

"Will both duelists please move to the middle of the room?" the head mistress requested.

On cue, Jaden picked up his duel disk, which he had set next to his chair before the banquette, placed the duel disk on his left arm, and moved out to the center of the dinning hall. A few moments later, Jaden's opponent moved to the center of the room, and he was surprised to see that it was the silver haired mystery girl he had met in the forest earlier that day.

"So you're the Etoile." Jaden said with a smirk. "You should've said something earlier."

"I don't recall you asking me who I was." Shizuma replied with a calm smile.

As both duelists prepared to face off, Nagisa sat, mesmerized by the silver haired beauty about to duel Jaden.

"Let the duel commence!" the head mistress declared.

Both Jaden and Shizuma activated their duel disks; their life points were automatically set to 4000.

"I'll go first." Jaden announced as he drew his first card. "First I summon Dandylion in Defense Mode!"

A creature that looked like a hybrid of lion and daisy appeared on the field in front of Jaden.

"Next I'll lay down a facedown and end my turn!" Jaden announced as he placed another card in his duel disk.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you the rule of 'ladies first'?" Shizuma asked with a calm smile as she drew her first card.

"Are you going to try and teach me some manners?" Jaden asked with a smirk. He was anxious to see what the island's best duelist could dish out.

"Perhaps." Shizuma said, replying to Jaden's earlier question. "For my first move, I summon Hysteric Fairy in Attack Mode!"

A female angel with white wings, wearing red-framed glasses and a fancy blue suit appeared on the field in front of Shizuma. In her arms, the angel held a large black book with a light-blue ankh on the cover.

"Hysteric Angel, attack Dandylion!" Shizuma commanded. "Hysteric Feather Strike!"

The angel shot a barrage of white feathers at Jaden's plant monster, shattering it into tiny triangles of golden light.

"Not bad," Jaden commented, "but when Dandylion is destroyed, it leaves behind two Fluff Tokens!"

A pair of dandelion seeds with cute faces on their puffball parts appeared where Dandylion once stood.

"I end my turn." Shizuma announced.

At the table behind Shizuma, a girl with short dark-blue hair and a stern expression narrowed her eyes at the silver haired duelist.

"My move!" Jaden announced, drawing his next card. "First, I sacrifice the two Fluff Tokens to summon, Elemental Hero Neos!"

The two dandelion seeds shattered into gold triangles and disappeared into a large cyclone. The cyclone vanished, revealing a green-eyed warrior in some kind of alien body suit. The warrior was primarily white, but parts of his suit were dark-blue and his hands were black. A red line ran over parts of the warrior's body. In the center of his chest was a dark-blue gemstone. Three red triangles surrounded the stone, with the points facing away from it. There were white spikes on the warrior's elbows that curved upward. Another large white spike that curved backward grew from the top of the warrior's head.

"Neos has 2500 ATK, which is stronger than your Hysteric Fairy's 1800." Jaden explained.

Much of the crowd gasped and murmured at how Jaden was able to summon such a strong monster so quickly.

"Neos, attack Hysteric Fairy!" Jaden commanded. "Wrath of Neos!"

Neo leapt into the air and delivered an earth-shattering punch to Hysteric Fairy, completely destroying it. The strike reduced Shizuma's life points to 3300.

"That ends my turn." Jaden announced.

"That was quite an impressive move." Shizuma commented as she drew her next card. "First I discard Hacatrice to add Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen to hand!"

As soon as Shizuma placed the card she discarded into the graveyard slot of her duel disk, a card popped out of her deck. The silver haired duelist promptly placed the card in her hand.

"Next I play the Spell card, Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen!" Shizuma announced.

The area behind Shizuma transformed into a magnificent throne room lined with Roman pillars.

"The effect of Valhalla lets me Special Summon a Fairy-type monster when I have no other monsters on the field." Shizuma explained. "So because I currently control no monsters, I Special Summon Athena from my hand!"

A silver haired woman wearing a white, Roman style dress and cape and silver Roman style helmet appeared on Shizuma's side of the field. In her right hand, the woman carried an ornate silver spear with a red jewel, and in her left was a large silver shield with gold trim.

"Athena has 2600 ATK, which I believe is 100 points stronger than your Neos." Shizuma explained.

The crowed murmured excitedly when Shizuma summoned Athena.

"Next I remove Hysteric Angel and Hacatrice from my Graveyard to Special Summon Soul of Purity and Light!" Shizuma announced.

A young man with a transparent female angel hanging around his back appeared next to Athena. The crowed began to grow more excited.

"Due to Athena's effect, my opponent takes 600 points of damage whenever a Fairy-type monster is summoned." Shizuma explained.

A red light shot from the large gemstone on Athena's spear and hit Jaden, reducing his life points from 4000 to 3400.

"Now Athena, attack Elementall Hero Neos!" Shizuma commanded. "Holy Javlen!"

Athena lunged forward and pierced Neos with her weapon, destroying him. The strike reduced Jaden's life points to 3300. Jaden was left wide open for a direct attack.

"Next, Soul of Purity and Light attacks directly!" Shizuma explained. "Light of the Pure Heart!"

The ghostly angel rose up and shot Jaden with a beam of white light from her hands. The strike reduced Jaden's life points from 3300 to 1300. The excitement from the crowed grew even bigger.

"I end my turn." Shizuma announced.

"Wow, you're not bad." Jaden commented as he drew his next card. Jaden looked at his next card and smirked. "First I summon Elemental Hero Ocean!"

A blue aquatic warrior carrying a unique spear appeared on Jaden's side of the field.

"When Ocean is summoned to the field, I can return an Elemental Hero monster from my field or Graveyard to my hand." Jaden explained. "I return Elemental Hero Neos to my hand!"

The crowed watched intently as they tried to figure out what the visiting duelist was going to do next.

"Now I activate Polymerization!" Jaden announced. "I fuse Elemental Hero Ocean with Elemental Hero Neos to summon Elemental Hero Absolute Zero!"

Neos appeared back on the field and jumped into the air with Ocean, entering a vortex that had appeared above Jaden. Moments later, a new warrior in white ice-like armor and a white cape dropped from the vortex and landed in front of Jaden.

"Your new monster may have the same ATK as Neos," Shizuma commented, "but it's still not enough to beat my Athena."

"I know that." Jaden explained. "Which is why I activate the facedown I put on the field during my first turn, Mask Change! I tribute Zero to Special Summon to Special Summon Masked Hero Vapor from my Fusion Deck!"

Absolute Zero covered his mask with his right hand, causing it to glow with a blue light. The light spread down the rest of the hero's body, causing him to flip into the air. The light faded, and in place of Absolute Zero was a warrior in blue and aqua-grey armor and a mask with red, insect-like eyes. The warrior carried a spear in his right hand.

"Why tribute a monster to summon one that's 100 points weaker?" a confused Shizuma asked.

"Because when Absolute Zero leaves the field, it takes the opponent's monsters with him!" Jaden explained.

A huge gust of wind picked up and both of Shizuma's monsters were frozen in ice. The frozen monsters shattered to pieces, leaving Shizuma's side of the field wide open.

"Next I equip Vapor with Fusion Weapon!" Jaden announced. "This gives Vapor 1500 extra attack points!"

Vapor moved his spear to his left hand, the back of Vapor's right forearm transformed into a futuristic pronged weapon. Vapor's ATK rose from 2400 to 3900.

"Vapor, attack Shizuma directly!" Jaden commanded. "Fusion shot!"

Vapor shot a blast of green electricity at Shizuma, the strike reduced the silver haired girl's life points to zero. The room was suddenly filled with shocked gasps. The crowed couldn't believe that their beloved Etoile had lost.

"That's game!" Jaden said as he did his trademark victory pose.

Shocked murmurs filled the grand dinning hall of Miator. The crowed was finally silenced when the head mistress stood back up and tapped the side of her glass again.

"Thank you duelists for that wonderful performance." The head mistress began. "With the end of this duel, I hereby declare this banquet over."

With those words, the students slowly began to leave the hall. Shizuma bowed to Jaden a bit before turning to leave. As Jaden walked back to the table where he was sitting before the duel, Yubel appeared next to him.

"You seem disappointed." The Duel Monster commented.

"It didn't seem like that Shizuma girl was giving me her best game." Jaden commented quietly to Yubel. "It's like she wasn't even trying to beat me."

"That was an outstanding duel!" Pegasus said to Jaden as the duelist arrived at the table.

"Truly an impressive performance, young man." The head mistress commented. "Although I must admit, I'm rather disappointed in the performance of our island's Etoile."

"She did okay." Jaden responded. Though he did share in the disappointment of the head mistress.

"Oh, by the way Jaden, I have some wonderful news!" Pegasus said in an excited tone that gave Jaden a bad feeling. "Just a moment ago, the head mistress invited both you and I to stay on the island for the whole school year! I was just so thrilled, I excepted the invitation for the both of us."

"Oh… That's great Mr. Pegasus." Jaden said with an insincere smile. At that moment, Jaden wanted to use his duel disk to club the creator of Duel Monsters.

* * *

><p>In a dark room in the Miator dorms, Shizuma stood silently, looking out the window. The light of the moon gave Shizuma's hair an almost supernatural glow. Suddenly, the door to the room opened. Shizuma did not turn to see who it was, for only she and one other person had a key to the room she was in.<p>

"Come to scold me again Miyuki?" Shizuma asked the person who entered.

The young woman who entered the room was the same dark-blue haired, stern faced girl who had been watching Shizuma duel earlier.

"I cannot believe your behavior today!" the dark-blue haired girl began. "First, you didn't show up to greet Mr. Pegasus when he arrived! I had to go in your place!"

"He didn't seem to mind." Shizuma commented as she finally turned to face Miyuki.

"It is still your duty as Etoile to greet all guests to the island!" Miyuki firmly reminded Shizuma. "Another thing, why didn't you try to win that duel at the banquet?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Shizuma replied with an innocent smile and a shrug. "I just had a bad hand, that's all."

"Don't try giving me that excuse." Miyuki said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I could see your hand from where I was sitting. You had a Trap card that could've easily stopped that duelist's Polymerization card from activating, and you didn't even set it on the field!"

Shizuma sighed in defeat. Her old friend had seen through her yet again.

"I just couldn't get excited about winning against some visiting duelist." Shizuma admitted. "I lost my passion for dueling years ago. You no that Miyuki."

"Passion or no passion, you still have an image to maintain as the Etoile!" Miyuki firmly reminded Shizuma. "You also have the honor and reputation of Miator to uphold! Remember that!"

With those words, Miyuki turned to leave, but when she reached the door, she stopped.

"One more thing." Miyuki began. "How long do you intend to use her deck instead of your own?"

This question caused Shizuma's calm smile to quickly fade.

"That deck is the one of the only things of hers I have left." Shizuma replied sadly.

"I see…" Miyuki responded. "I'll leave you alone then."

As soon as Miyuki left, Shizuma turned to look back out the window. A single tear ran down her right cheek.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> The duel between Jaden and Shizuma kinda wrote itself actually. Normally I had to plan out each duel before writing the actual chapter, but with this chapter I could picture the duel in my head. As some of you GX fans reading this story have probably noticed, Jaden is using a few of the cards he used in the manga, but it's mostly just the "Omni-Hero" and Masked Hero cards. I figured that way Jaden could get more use out of Super Polymerization. One other thing that I should mention is that there will be some stuff from the Yu-Gi-Oh! R manga in this story.

So that's chapter one. Review and let me know what you think.


	2. The Honor and Pride of Miator

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

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><p>Chapter 2: The Honor and Pride of Miator<p>

Jaden was staying in a guest room in the head mistress's mansion on the island. It was a nice room, but Jaden was not used to such extravagant accommodations. After four years of living in the Slifer Red dorms, and a year and a half of life on the road as a wandering duelist, Jaden had become more used to living in a more rustic manner. He would either camp out under the stars, or spend the night in hotels that were not extremely cheap, but were nowhere near five stars. Still, it was a nice room. Large, nice soft bed, and it even had its own bathroom. Jaden wondered if the room he was staying in was anything like the rooms at the Obelisk Blue dorm at his old academy. He made a mental note to ask his friend Syrus the next time he saw him.

As Jaden finished getting dressed, he glanced down at Pharaoh. The stripped cat seemed to be enjoying the high-class cat food that the head mistress's servants had provided. Jaden was glad that at least his cat was having a good time. As for himself, he wasn't so sure. Jaden did not know why Pegasus had dragged him along to Astraea Island for a yearlong visit, nor did he have any idea what he was going to do on the island, aside from dueling some of the students. What was the purpose of Pegasus bringing him along? Jaden knew that Pegasus was a bit eccentric, but there had to be a reason other than to show off the skills of a pro-duelist. Jaden decided to ask Pegasus what was going on as soon as he saw him.

As Jaden began to descend the stairs to the ground floor, he saw someone waiting for him. It was an older man, wearing the same black suit and sunglasses as Pegasus's bodyguards, but had grey hair and a mustache.

"Mr. Jaden Yuki, I presume?" the man in black asked.

"Yeah, that's me." Jaden replied. "Who're you?"

"I am Croquet, Mr. Pegasus's aid." The man in black replied. "I'm here to inform you that Mr. Pegasus will be unavailable for the next few days. He has urgent business here on the island that requires his personal attention."

'Figures' Jaden thought to himself. He knew that Pegasus was ducking him, which made things even more suspicious.

"In the meantime," Croquet continued, "Mr. Pegasus thought that you might enjoy a tour of the facilities here on the island, beginning with Miator."

"Are you going to give this tour?" Jaden asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I am here merely to inform you of you of Mr. Pegasus's unavailability." Croquet replied. "The tour will be conducted by a pair of Miator students, who have already arrived."

Croquet stepped aside, allowing a pair of familiar looking girls to step into view. One had blue hair tied back in a white bow, and the other was a redhead.

"Hello again Mr. Yuki." Tamao greeted, bowing to Jaden. "It's a pleasure to see you again. Nagisa and I have been asked to conduct your tour."

"I see." Jaden said, pleasantly surprised. "Nice to see you two again."

A few moments later, the trio was outside on their way to Miator. Tamao led the way, while Jaden and Nagisa followed almost side by side.

"So Nagisa, is this your first year here?" Jaden asked his redheaded companion.

"Uh, yeah." Nagisa replied. "I actually transferred over from another duel academy in my home town. I only came here because both of my parents had to take a job overseas. Still, I'm rather excited to be here. Miator is said to be one the best duel academies in the world."

"Not to mention that she met a silver haired vixen that made her swoon." Yubel said as she suddenly appeared next to Jaden.

"Huh?" Jaden asked, wondering what the duel monster was implying.

"Did you say something Mr. Yuki?" Tamao asked, suddenly stopping and turning to face Jaden.

"What? Oh, nothing." Jaden replied. "I was just talking to myself, and please, call me Jaden."

"Oh… um, alright." Tamao replied. The blue haired girl seemed a bit surprised by Jaden's request that they drop the formalities.

"What's that building over there?" Jaden asked, pointing to the three-story building on their right.

"Oh, that's the Strawberry Dorms." Tamao replied right after looking where Jaden was pointing. "All of students on Astraea Island live in that building. The dorms are divided into three sections, one for each academy."

Jaden nodded his head in understanding. It seemed interesting to him that all three academies would share the same dormitory.

"Here we are." Tamao exclaimed as the three suddenly stopped in front of the large building that Jaden had first seen the previous day, St, Miator Duel Academy.

"It might interest you to know Mr. Yuki, I mean Jaden, that St. Miator was the first academy on the island to be created." Tamao explained as the trio entered the building. "There were so many students that wished to enroll here, a second academy was created. That academy was St. Spica. Even than, however, there were still too many students for both Miator and Spica to handle, so St. Lilum was created."

Both Jaden and Nagisa nodded in interest to what Tamao had told them. Jaden thought to himself that Miator probably produced some good duelists if it was so popular. There were not a lot of students in the school that day, which was not surprising since it was the weekend. The trio passed by many classrooms, and Tamao explained what each of them was used for. Jaden was rather surprised that some of the rooms were used for classes that taught things such as flower arranging and tea ceremony. Although Jaden did remember that Miator was also a private school for girls.

After the tour had taken the trio past the gym, the out door pool, and a few in door dueling arenas, they had eventually reached a closed room, where loud voices could be heard.

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" a shrill female voice shouted. "WHERE DO YOU GET OFF DEMANDING THAT MIATOR DETERMINE THE FORMAT OF THE TOURNAMENT?"

The trio was greatly startled by the outburst from the room they were outside of.

"It is only fair!" another female voice replied. This voice was much calmer than the first. "Since Spica is hosting the Etoile tournament, Miator should decide the format!"

"IN THE LAST TOURNAMENT, MIATOR BOTH HOSTED THE TOURNAMENT, AND DECIDED THE FORMAT! SPICA SPICA DID NOT HAVE ANY PART IN ORGANIZING IT!" the first voice replied.

"You have to admit, it does sound fair." Said a third voice, far calmer than the other two. "After all, this competition involves all three schools."

"OH, AND I SUPPOSE THAT MIATOR BEING ALLOWED TO DETERMINE THE FORMAT IS YOUR IDEA, PRESIDANT CHIKARU!" the first voice shouted.

"Well, I may have suggested something to president Miyuki just before today's meeting." The third voice said in a tone that was far too innocent.

"Oh, that figures!" the first voice replied, in a calmer tone. "And just what will Lilum's part be in planning the tournament?"

"Well, I was thinking that Lilum could handle the décor," the third voice replied, "but other than that, we'd be perfectly happy to let Miator and Spica handle the major details."

"I DON"T BELIEVE THIS!" the first voice shouted. "THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT SPICA GETS TO HOST THE ETOILE TOURNAMENT, AND MIATOR ACTS LIKE THEY'RE STILL THE HOSTS! I CANNOT BELIEVE THE ARROGANCE OF…"

The shouting voice trailed off into an angry rant. Both Jaden and Nagisa were simply shocked by what they were hearing behind the closed door. Tamao, on the other hand, was not surprised at all.

"This is actually quite normal." Tamao said, getting the attention of Jaden and Nagisa. "What we're hearing is the weekly meeting of the student council presidents of the three schools. The one who is doing the shouting is Shion Tomori, the student council president of Spica."

"Are they always like this?" Nagisa asked.

"Well, the meetings have become a bit more heated since the end of last year," Tamao replied, "but this is mostly what they're like. All three schools have a long rivalry with each other, so it's not uncommon for some of the meetings to break into big arguments like this one."

"Makes my old academy seem tame by comparison." Jaden cut in. "Although I thought that this 'Etoile' was supposed help mediate the stuff between the three schools."

Nagisa turned her full attention to Jaden after hearing him mention the mysterious Etoile that captivated her since her arrival on the island.

"At least, that's what I thought I heard your head mistress say when I first got here yesterday." Jaden said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"You heard correctly Mr. Yuki." Tamao replied. "One of the duties of the Etoile is to help resolve disputes like the one going on now."

"So why isn't she doing that now?" Nagisa asked.

"Well…" Tamao began, "the rumor is that the current Etoile often neglects her duties. It's said that she often skips out on meetings between the student council presidents"

Both Jaden and Nagisa were rather surprised by this news. Nagisa seemed especially surprised. Jaden thought back to his duel with the aforementioned Etoile the previous night. After thinking about how the silver haired girl he dueled didn't seem to even try to defeat him, Jaden wondered if the Etoile took any part of her position seriously. Then again, Jaden decided that if he had to sit in on meetings like the one going on behind the door, he'd try to skip out on as many of them as he could too.

"THIS ISN'T OVER!" the loud voice from behind the door shouted.

The door to the room where the student council presidents were having their meeting suddenly opened, startling Jaden and the two Miator students. The first person that walked out had long blond hair and was wearing a primarily white uniform with a rather shot skirt and a checked yellow bowtie that had a red gem in the center. On her left arm, the blond wore a duel disk that was white with blue trim. A very noticeable expression of irritation was on the blonde's face. Jaden could tell that the girl he was seeing was the student council president of Spica. The blond looked at the trio for a moment, then turned her nose up at them and left.

The second person to walk out of the room was a raven-haired girl with two large red bows on the sides of her hair. The girl's uniform was primarily pink and yellow, and resembled the uniform of a regular Japanese schoolgirl. On the raven-haired girl's left arm was a bright yellow duel disk with pink trim. The raven-haired girl looked at the trio and shot them a warm smile. There was something about the girl that put Jaden on edge, however. Something that he found dangerous, but he couldn't figure out what it was. When the raven-haired girl left, Jaden began to calm down a bit.

The third person to exit the room was a girl with short, dark-blue hair, and a stern expression on her face. The girl was wearing a Miator uniform and duel disk. Jaden knew that the girl could only be Miator's student council president. Jaden also realized that he had seen the girl the previous night during the duel. He had glanced over to Shizuma's right very briefly during the duel and saw the girl watching with the same serious expression. The Miator president looked over at the trio and walked toward them.

"Mr. Jaden Yuki, I presume?" the stern faced girl asked.

"Uh, yeah." Jaden replied a bit nervously.

"I'm Miyuki Rokujo, the student council president of Miator." The girl said, introducing herself. "I trust that you're enjoying your tour?"

"Well, it's been interesting." Jaden replied. "You've got quite the school here."

"I thank you for that compliment." Miyuki said, bowing her head slightly. "Our academy has produced some fine duelists. Our Etoile, Shizuma Hanazono, is one of our best."

"I guess." Jaden replied. He couldn't really agree or disagree with what Miyuki said about Shizuma, since said Etoile did not give Jaden her best game.

"I see…" Miyuki said, narrowing her eyes a bit at Jaden. "So you doubt the abilities of Miator students, since you defeated our Etoile so easily last night."

"Uh, wait I never said…" Jaden began, but he was quickly cut off.

"Do not assume that the students of Miator are weak because you managed to defeat our Etoile!" Miyuki sternly informed Jaden. "We are far more powerful than you imagine! However, since you will probably not take my word for it, I will duel you myself just to show you how powerful we are."

Jaden was about to tell Miyuki that he did not doubt the dueling ability of Miator students, but he couldn't turn down a challenge to duel. It just wasn't in his nature.

"Fine, I accept!" Jaden said with a smirk.

A few minutes later, Miyuki and Jaden were outside in one of Miator's dueling arenas. Nagisa and Tamao had followed to watch the duel that was about to unfold.

"I'll start things off!" Jaden announced as he drew his first card. "First I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in Defense Mode!"

A large warrior in smooth yet bulky dark-grey armor appeared on Jaden's side of the field in a crouched position. Jaden looked at the rest oh his hand. It wasn't a great hand, but it wasn't bad either. He had a couple of Trap cards, Hero Signal and Draining Shield. Jaden didn't think that Miyuki could summon anything that could overcome Clayman's 2000 DEF points on her first turn, but he decided to put the Traps on the field just in case.

"Next I'll lay down a couple face downs and end my turn!" Jaden announced as he put the two Trap cards in his duel disk.

"A prudent defense," Miyuki said as she drew her first card, "but I'm afraid it is worthless. I discard Harpie Queen from my hand to add Harpies' Hunting Ground to my hand."

Miyuki added the card that popped out of her deck to her hand.

"Next I activate Harpies' Hunting Ground!" Miyuki announced as she placed the card in her duel disk.

The scenery immediately changed to a barren wasteland under a grey sky.

"Harpies' Hunting Ground increases the ATK of all Winged Beast monsters on the field by 200 points," Miyuki explained, "but that's not the only effect of my Field Spell."

Jaden knew all too well what the other effect of Miyuki's Field Spell was, and he knew all too well what was going to happen next.

"I summon Cyber Harpie Lady in Attack Mode!" Miyuki announced.

A woman with long, bright red hair and blue skin appeared on Miyuki's side of the field. The woman's arms were a pair of wings that ended in talons, and her feet were a pair of much larger talons. Her chest was covered in black and silver armor, and she carried a whip in her right claw.

"Now the second effect of my Field Spell kicks in." Miyuki explained. "Whenever a Harpie Lady is summoned, one Spell or Trap card on the field is automatically destroyed."

The Cyber Harpie flapped her wings, creating a gust of wind to destroy one of Jaden's Trap cards.

"Next I activate Elegant Egotist!" Miyuki announced. "This card allows me to Special Summon Harpie Lady 1 from my deck!"

The Cyber Harpie was enveloped in a beam of light, causing her to divide into two. The second Harpie Lady was identical to the first, except that it wore a purple body suit and carried no whip.

"The effect of my Field Spell activates again and destroys your second Trap card." Miyuki explained.

The newly appeared Harpie Lady flapped her wings, bringing up a gust of wind that destroyed Jaden's other Trap card.

"There's one more thing you should know." Miyuki explained. "As long as Harpie Lady 1 is face-up on the field, all Wind attribute monster gain 300 extra ATK."

Jaden knew that that meant both of Miyuki's Harpies had gained 500 extra ATK, meaning Cyber Harpie had 2300 ATK, making it able to destroy Clayman easily. Harpie Lady 1's ATK, meanwhile, had become 1800.

"Now Cyber Harpie, attack Clayman!" Miyuki commanded. "Rose Whip!"

The Harpie Lady cracked its whip and struck Clayman across the chest, shattering it into triangles of gold light.

"You're wide open." Miyuki observed. "Harpie Lady 1, attack Mr. Yuki directly! Talon Slash!"

The second Harpie Lady gleefully slashed Jaden across the chest with her claws. The attack reduced Jaden's 4000 life points to 2200.

"That ends my turn." Miyuki announced.

"Wow, the president sure is good." Nagisa observed from the sidelines.

"President Rokujo is one of the strongest duelists in Miator." Tamao replied. "She's also one of the most aggressive. Very few people have defeated her."

"So, do you still doubt the ability of Miator students Mr. Yuki?" Miyuki asked Jaden.

"I never said that I did." Jaden replied.

"You seemed to doubt the ability of our Etoile." Miyuki pointed out.

"It's not that I don't think that your Etoile isn't strong," Jaden replied, "I just couldn't really tell since she didn't really seem to be trying to beat me."

Jaden's words surprised Miyuki, Nagisa, and Tamao.

"I see…" Miyuki said, looking down a little in shame. "You are correct Mr. Yuki, Shizuma was not trying her hardest to defeat you in your duel last night. It must be an insult to you, and for that I apologize."

Miyuki's words had caused Jaden to blink in surprise.

"I wasn't insulted." Jaden replied. "It's just no fun to go up against a duelist who doesn't come at me with full strength. Why wasn't Shizuma coming at me with everything she had?'

"It's a long story." Miyuki said looking back up at Jaden. "I can tell you however, that Shizuma does not take many of her duties as Etoile seriously these days. In fact, it is rumored that she will not attend a special ceremony for the first year students being held today. It is a shame, since the first years were looking forward to her appearance."

What Miyuki had told Jaden about the ceremony seemed to shock Nagisa a bit.

"Well, whatever. Right now I've got a duel to win." Jaden said as he drew his next card. "My move!"

Jaden looked at the card and smirked.

"First I play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!' Jaden announced as he placed the card he just drew into his duel disk.

Jaden looked at the two new cards. One of the cards was Elemental Hero Wildheart. He already had Elemental Hero Bladedge in his hand, but he still did not have Polymerization. The other card he drew however was something that could turn things around, although it wouldn't quite finish the duel. If he was going to take down Miyuki, he would need one more card. Jaden decided to take a gamble.

"Next I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart in defense Mode!" Jaden announced.

A warrior with tribal markings, a long black ponytail, and a large sword on his back appeared on Jaden's field in a crouched position.

"I lay down a facedown and end my turn!" Jaden announced.

Jaden knew that he was taking a big gamble setting that card on the field. If Miyuki summoned another Harpie Lady, the card would be destroyed, Wildheart would become bird food, and he would lose.

"You're taking a huge risk setting that card on the field." Miyuki noted as she drew her next card. Jaden held his breath as he waited to see if the card was another Harpie Lady or something else. "However, it seems that you're gamble has paid off somewhat. I summon Harpies' Pet Baby Dragon in Attack Mode!"

A human sized orange dragon with a black face and a type of crown appeared on the field between the two Harpie Ladies. Around the dragon's neck was a collar with a chain attached. Harpie Lady 1 picked up the end of the chain and held it in her right claw.

"Harpies' Pet Baby Dragon gains effects depending on how many Harpie Lady cards are on the field." Miyuki explained. "If I have at least one Harpie Lady on the field, Harpie cards other than Harpies' Brother and Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon cannot be declared as attack targets. If I have two Harpie Ladies on the field, my dragon's original ATK is doubled from 1200 to 2400."

Jaden, Nagisa, and Tamao were all rather impressed that Miyuki was able to summon a monster with 2400 ATK so easily. Plus, Jaden remembered that Harpie Lady 1 gave every Wind monster on the field 300 extra ATK points, so since Pet Baby Dragon was a Wind attribute monster, its ATK again rose to 2700.

"This turn is the end, Mr. Yuki." Miyuki proclaimed.

"You think so?" Jaden asked with a smirk, causing Miyuki to raise an eyebrow. "I activate my facedown, Super Polymerization!"

"Super Polymerization?" a confused Miyuki asked.

"By discarding a card from my hand, I can use monsters on my side of the field with monsters on your side of the field for a Fusion Summon!" Jaden explained. "So I discard Elemental Hero Bladedge from my hand, and fuse my Elemental Hero Wildheart and your Harpies' Pet Baby Dragon to summon Elemental Hero Great Tornado!"

A gigantic vortex appeared in the sky and sucked Wildheart and Pet Baby Dragon into the air. The two monsters disappeared into the center of the vortex. There was a huge flash of light, and the vortex disappeared. From the sky dropped a warrior in green, dark-brown, and yellow-tan armor. The warrior wore a tattered dark-brown cape over his left arm. The arrival of the warrior caused a huge wave of wind to pick up and knock the two Harpie Ladies to the ground.

"When Great Tornado is summoned, the ATK of all my opponent's monsters is cut in half." Jaden explained.

"I-I end my turn." A shocked Miyuki announced.

Jaden drew his next card, hoping that it would be just what he needed to finish the duel.

"Sweet!" Jaden said as he looked at the card he just drew. "I activate Miracle Fusion! I remove Wildheart and Bladedge from my Graveyard to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Wildedge!"

Appearing on the field next to Great Tornado was a more muscular version of Wildheart wearing a gold helmet and golden armor on his waist, right leg, and left arm. Steel blades lined the edge of the armor on Wildedge's left lower arm. Wildedge's ATK was 2600, making it far stronger than the two weakened Harpie Ladies.

"Wildedge has the ability to attack all the monsters on my opponent's side of the field at least once." Jaden explained. "Now Wildedge, attack the Harpie Ladies! Scimitar Slash!"

One slash from Wildedge and the Harpie Ladies were cut to ribbons. Not only were Miyuki's 4000 life points reduced to a mere 850, but she was wide open to a direct attack. Great Tornado's 2800 ATK was more than enough to finish her off.

"Great Tornado, attack Miyuki directly!" Jaden commanded. "Super Cell!"

Great Tornado blasted Miyuki with a powerful twister that reduced her life points to zero. With the duel over, the landscape turned back into one of the outdoor duel arenas behind Miator.

"That's game!" Jaden said as he did his trademark victory pose.

"You truly are a skilled duelist Mr. Yuki." Miyuki said with a bow. "I apologize that I thought that you assumed Miator's students were weak."

With those words, Miyuki turned and left. It seemed to Jaden that Miyuki was one of those duelists who took the game way too seriously, and he wondered if all the Miator students were like that. He knew that at least Shizuma wasn't like that, but then she didn't seem to really care about the game at all. Then it occurred to Jaden that perhaps Shizuma not trying her hardest to win the duel was a way of rebelling against her position as Etoile. It seemed that being Etoile had all of these jobs and responsibilities attached, not to mention a huge image to uphold. So it made sense to Jaden that Shizuma might rebel by not trying to win, or even lose on purpose.

"So, is that the end of the tour?" Jaden asked Tamao.

"Well, there are a few parts of the grounds that I haven't showed you," Tamao answered, "but I've pretty much shown you everything."

"In that case, I'm gonna head back to the head mistress's mansion." Jaden replied.

"Um… I have somewhere I have to go to right now!" Nagisa suddenly said, surprising both Tamao and Jaden. "It was nice seeing you again Jaden. See you later!"

With those words, Nagisa turned and ran off. Jaden wondered where it was Nagisa had to run off to in such a hurry. Tamao didn't seem to know where Nagisa was going either.

"Hmm… I wonder if she ran off to find that Shizuma girl?" Yubel said as she suddenly reappeared next to Jaden.

"Why do say that?" Jaden whispered so as not to be overheard by Tamao.

"I think that Miyuki girl might have said something that made Nagisa want to go and ask that silver haired girl something." Yubel replied. "I wonder if dear Nagisa will even have the nerve to speak to Shizuma?"

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><p>Nagisa began to search the grounds for the mysterious Etoile. What Miyuki said about Shizuma not planning to attend the ceremony for the first year students of Miator really bothered her. She didn't like the thought of all those students being disappointed. Nagisa wanted to try to convince Shizuma to attend. Not knowing where Shizuma would normally be at that time of the day, Nagisa decided to try looking where she first met the silver haired beauty. After about fifteen minutes of running, Nagisa finally reached the lake near the spot she first met Shizuma. She leaned against a nearby tree to catch her breath.<p>

After a few moments, Nagisa looked up, and low and behold, Shizuma was standing in front of her only a few feet away. The silver haired girl turned her head and noticed Nagisa leaning against the tree. A rather predatory smile appeared on Shizuma's face. As Shizuma began to approach, Nagisa tried to speak, but could not even open her mouth. Because the moment Nagisa locked eyes with Shizuma, she was paralyzed. The silver haired girl's beauty was overwhelming to Nagisa.

Nagisa could not tell whether it had been minutes, or just seconds, but soon enough, Shizuma was standing mere inches away from her. Nagisa could feel her heart begin to race.

"Well, we meet again." Shizuma said as she gently took hold of Nagisa's chin.

"I-I-I…" Nagisa stammered as she tried to speak to the silver haired goddess. "I've been l-looking for you."

"And why is that?" Shizuma whispered seductively, her face only inches away from Nagisa's.

"I-I… I came to ask you to attend the ceremony being held for the first years!" Nagisa finally blurted out, causing Shizuma to back away a little in surprise.

"Why would you want me to attend that? You're not a first year." Shizuma asked with a tone of confusion.

"I know, but… so many of the first year students are looking forward to seeing you." Nagisa managed to reply. "It means so much to them."

Shizuma looked at Nagisa thoughtfully for a moment, and then smiled.

"What was your name again?" Shizuma asked.

"N-Nagisa Aoi." The redhead replied nervously.

"Well Nagisa, for you, I'll attend the ceremony." Shizuma said as she walked back up to Nagisa.

Shizuma kissed Nagisa on the forehead, causing the redhead's knees to feel wobbly. After that, Shizuma released Nagisa and left. The redhead collapsed against the tree, a heavy blush was on her face. Nagisa's brain was trying to process what had just happened. Had she really spoken to Shizuma, and did the silver haired girl actually grant her request? After her head had finally stopped spinning, Nagisa got up and began walking back to the dorms. As Nagisa walked, she found that she felt very happy that she got to talk to Shizuma.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> A friend of mine who first read this chapter complained that I didn't use the anime versions of some of the Harpie cards. The reason for that was because I thought that the anime versions were way too overpowered, especially in the original Yu-Gi-Oh! when Mai worked for Dartz. As for why I had Miyuki using a Harpie deck, it just seemed to fit her somehow. One of the challenges of writing this story was coming up decks that each of the Strawberry Panic characters would use. Some decks were easier to come up with than others.

Well, review and tell me what you think.


	3. The Woman Prince

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

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><p>Chapter 3: The Woman Prince<p>

The morning had begun like the previous one. Jaden woke up in his guest room in the head mistress's mansion and got dressed. The maids had once again given Pharaoh some of the fancy cat food he had eaten the previous day. Jaden knew that his feline companion would be rather depressed about going back to the dry food usually provided to him once they left the island, whenever that would be. Jaden left his room and descended to stairs of the mansion, and once again, he was greeted by Pegasus's aid, Croquet.

"Ah, good morning Mr. Yuki." Croquet greeted. "I'm sorry to say that Mr. Pegasus is once again unavailable today."

_'What a surprise.'_ Jaden thought sarcastically to himself.

"However, Mr. Pegasus has arranged for you to have a tour of Spica academy." Croquet explained. "Your tour guides have already arrived."

Just like the previous morning, Croquet stepped aside to allow Jaden's female tour guides to step into view. It was a different pair of girls though. Both of them were wearing Spica uniforms and duel disks. One of the girls had long black hair and brown eyes. The other had long blond hair that curled a bit, and a pair of pale-blue eyes. Jaden noticed that the blond girl seemed a bit nervous.

"You Jaden Yuki?" the black haired girl asked.

"That's me." Jaden replied

"I'm Yaya Nanto." The black haired girl said, introducing herself. "This is my friend, Hikari Konohana."

"H-Hello." The blond girl said nervously. Jaden waved back in response.

"We'll be your tour guides for today." Yaya explained.

A few moments later, the trio had left the mansion, and was on their way to the Spica grounds.

"So, have you been enjoying your stay on the island Mr. Yuki?" Yaya asked.

"I guess so." Jaden replied. "And please, call me Jaden."

"No problem." Yaya responded. Jaden noted that dropping formalities did not seem to be a problem for the black haired girl. "Well, here we are! St. Spica Duel Academy!"

The three momentarily stood outside of an immense white building with a light-blue roof. After Jaden had sufficiently taken in the site, the three went in. The interior of Spica was not all that different from Miator. The walls were a different color, and the classrooms were laid out differently, but other than that, it seemed like the same basic design.

"Spica was the second duel academy formed on the island," Yaya explained, "but you probably already knew that. Dueling is the specialty of Spica academy, but we also have various sports clubs like tennis and horse back riding. We also have a choir, which Hikari and I happen to be a part of."

Jaden nodded his head in understanding. While it did seem weird to him for a duel academy to have a choir, he liked that Spica had a few athletic activities. It actually reminded him of his old academy a little. A little while later, the trio was back outside, where Jaden saw a few of the tennis courts, and a few outdoor dueling arenas. A few of the arenas were being used. Jaden wanted to stick around to watch, but it seemed that Yaya had other plans.

"C'mon Jaden, there's one more place we have to show you." Yaya insisted. "We still have to show you there horse riding grounds."

"Why do I have to see that?" Jaden asked in confusion.

"Well, the trip isn't actually for you. You're just kind of an excuse." Yaya explained with a sly tone to her voice. "We're actually going there for Hikari."

Hikari, who had been silent for most of the tour, gasped a bit in surprise.

"Oh come now my little Hikari, why do you think I volunteered us to give Jaden a tour of the academy?" Yaya asked Hikari, sounding a little more devious than before. "It's all been so you can meet the prince."

"Prince?" Jaden asked, more confused than before.

"That's right!" Yaya answered. "Amane Ohtori, Spica's strongest duelist, and a champion horse back rider."

"…I see." Jaden replied, still rather confused. He couldn't figure out how an all girl duel academy could have a male student.

"Hikari has been dying to meet the prince." Yaya explained. "She has kind of a crush."

"Y-Yaya!" Hikari whispered as she tugged on her friend's arm in an attempt to get her to shut up.

"I get it." Jaden said with a smile, though he still couldn't understand how a boy could be enrolled in an all girl academy.

After a few more minutes of walking, the trio had reached to riding grounds of Spica. There, an unexpected site greeted them, two Miator students who were all too familiar to Jaden.

"Nagisa, Tamao, what are you two doing here?" Jaden asked as he waved to the two girls in greeting.

"Oh, hello Mr. Yuki." Tamao greeted

"Hi Jaden." Nagisa greeted enthusiastically. "We're here to see the prince that Tamao told me about earlier."

"You too, huh?" Jaden replied.

"You know these girls?" Yaya asked.

"Yeah, they were my tour guides yesterday." Jaden explained. "Plus I ran into them on my first day on the island."

The four girls took a few moments to introduce themselves to each other. Jaden was glad to see that the students from the different schools actually could get along. Suddenly, everyone's attention was captured by the sound of a galloping horse. Jaden blinked a few times to make sure that he wasn't seeing things, but it was soon clear that his eyes weren't lying. Out on the field, was a young man riding a white horse. The young man had rather short, blue hair, and was wearing a riding outfit. Jaden thought that the rider did indeed look like a prince.

As the group watched from the fence, the rider noticed them and suddenly stopped. It seemed that the prince noticed that he had an audience, of which one of its members, namely Jaden, looked very out of place on an island filled with all girl duel academies. The prince's horse trotted slowly over to the assembled group. Once close enough, the young man dismounted and walked over to the fence where Jaden and the others were standing.

"Uh, hi." Jaden greeted a bit nervously. "My name's Jaden Yuki. I'm kind of a visitor here on the island. It must be interesting being the only boy in an all girl school."

"Um, I wouldn't know." The blue haired rider replied in a voice that, though rather low and a bit husky, was clearly female.

Jaden took a closer look at the so-called "prince" and discovered that, while the person standing before him had a decidedly masculine appearance, was clearly a girl. Though it was a little hard to tell with the riding outfit. A look of embarrassment quickly appeared on Jaden's face. Jaden could hear Yaya snickering behind him, but Yubel, who had appeared next to Jaden, holding her sides in uncontrollable laughter, quickly drowned her out. It was one of those times when Jaden was glad that he was the only one who could see and hear Yubel.

"Don't worry, you're not the first person to make that mistake." The tomboy chuckled. "Why do you think I'm called a prince? I'm Amane Ohtori, it's nice to meet you."

Jaden nervously shook Amane's extended hand. He could not believe that he had made such an embarrassing mistake, and Yubel wasn't helping.

"Well, I see that you've returned safely Prince Amane." A new voice said, getting everyone's attention, everyone's except for Yubel's. She was too busy laughing at Jaden's blunder.

Everyone turned to look at the source of the voice, and found that it belonged to a Spica student with long blond hair. Jaden recognized the girl all too well, because he had seen her the previous day during his tour of Miator. The girl was Spica's student council president, Shion Tomori.

"I trust things went well at the Atalanic Tournament?" Shion asked Amane.

"They went fine." Amane replied in a tone that indicated that she was not pleased to see Shion.

"Splendid. Ah, I see that you've met the visiting pro-duelist, Jaden Yuki." Shion observed. "You might be interested to know that Mr. Yuki defeated the Etoile a couple of nights ago."

Amane looked at Jaden in surprise.

"You defeated the Etoile?" Amane asked Jaden.

"Yeah, but it wasn't much of a victory." Jaden replied, remembering how Shizuma didn't even try to beat him. Although everyone around him took the comment as false modesty. Everyone except Nagisa and Tamao, who had remembered what Miyuki had said during her duel with Jaden.

"No need to be so modest Mr. Yuki. It was an amazing accomplishment." Shion commented. "Although it would be interesting to see how well you do against Spica's own prince. I'm sure all of the students at Spica would love to see the two of you duel."

Amane sighed heavily, as she knew what Shion was tying to do. Jaden could also easily figure out the motives of Spica's student council presient.

"In fact, rumor has quickly spread that the two of you will be dueling quite shortly in one of Spica's outdoor arenas." Shion explained.

"And I suppose you're the one who started this rumor." Amane observed.

"What makes you think I started it?" Shion asked in a tone that was far too innocent. "In any case, it would be a shame for you to disappoint your fans Prince Amane."

Amane sighed heavily in defeat. She knew that there was no way out.

"Alright, let me change and get my duel disk." Amane said in a defeated tone. "Sorry to put you in this position Mr. Yuki."

"No problem, I'm looking forward to it." Jaden said enthusiastically. "And please, call me Jaden."

Half an hour later, Jaden was at one of Spica's arenas, awaiting his opponent. A large crowed had already congregated. Among the crowed of course were Yaya, Hikari, Tamao, and Nagisa. Much of the audience was made up of Spica students, but there were quite a few Miator students as well. Suddenly, the crowed facing Jaden parted, allowing Amane to enter the arena, wearing her Spica uniform and duel disk. Though Amane still had a masculine appearance, it was much easier to tell that she was a woman. Shion followed close behind and took a position just outside of the arena.

"Let the duel begin!" Shion declared.

With those words, both Jaden and Amane activated their duel disks, there life points set at 4000.

"I'll start this off!" Amane declared as she drew her first card. "I set one monster on the field and end my turn!"

With only one set monster on Amane's side of the field, Jaden began to wonder if the current duel would be a repeat of his duel with Shizuma. After all, Amane was pressured into the duel, why should she take it seriously? Jaden decided to just go ahead with the duel.

"My move!" Jaden declared as he drew a card from his deck. "First I activate Polymerization! I fuse together Elemental Hero Avian and Elemental Hero Burstinatrix to summon Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!"

A winged man in a green furred costume and a grey haired woman with light-grey skin, wearing a red bodysuit and gold helmet appeared on Jaden's side of the field before leaping into a small vortex in the sky. Emerging from the vortex was a new warrior who was mostly green and black. A slightly deformed white wing grew out of the left side of the warrior's back. The warrior's right arm was red and had a dragon's head instead of a hand. The warrior also had a red dragon's tail.

"Not only does Flame Wingman have 2100 ATK, but when he destroys an opponents monster by battle, my opponent takes damage equal to the destroyed monster's ATK!" Jaden explained.

Barley audible whispers could be heard from the crowed. Many of the audience members seemed amazed that Jaden had summoned such a powerful monster so quickly. Amane's expression remained calm however.

"Flame Wingman, attack Amane's facedown monster!" Jaden commanded. "Flame Shoot!"

Flame Wingman shot a blast of fire from his dragonhead arm, hitting the facedown card on Amane's side of the field. When the fire and smoke cleared however, Jaden was surprised to see a monster still on Amane's side of the field. The monster in question was an elf warrior wearing minimal armor and a purple cape. The warrior was in a crouched position, holding his sword up to block the attack of Jaden's hero.

"That's a nice monster." Amane commented with a smirk. "Too bad my Obnoxious Celtic guardian can't be destroyed in battle by monsters 1900 or more ATK."

The crowed cheered that Amane's monster wasn't destroyed. Jaden smirked a bit, thinking that perhaps Amane was going to put some effort into the duel after all.

"Fine, I'll lay down a facedown and end my turn!" Jaden announced as he placed one more card in his duel disk.

"I guess it's my turn." Amane declared as she drew a new card. "First I switch Celtic Guardian to Attack Mode. Then I equip him with Lightning Blade!"

The elf warrior's sword transformed into a sword with a larger blade that crackled with electricity.

"Lightning Blade increases the ATK of the monster it's equipped to by 800 points." Amane explained. "So my Celtic Guardian's ATK rises from 1400 to 2200."

Again the crowed cheered for Amane. They were all excited that Amane had a brought forth such a powerful monster.

"Celtic Guardian, attack Flame Wingman!" Amane commanded. "Lightning Slash!"

Celtic Guardian slashed Flame Wingman across the chest, shattering him into triangles of golden light. The strike reduced Jaden's life points from 4000 to 3900. The crowed cheered at the destruction of Jaden's monster.

"I activate my facedown card, Hero Signal!" Jaden announced. "When one of my monsters is destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon an Elemental Hero from my hand or deck. So I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart!"

Jaden's loyal jungle warrior appeared on his side of the field.

"Well, I guess I'll end my turn." Amane announced.

"My move!" Jaden announced. "First I activate Fusion Recovery! This card lets me return Polymerization and a Fusion Material monster from my Graveyard to my hand! So I return to my hand one Polymerization, and Elemental Hero Avian!"

The crowed watched Jaden expectantly as he added the cards to his hand.

"Next I activate Polymerization and fuse Avian and Wildheart to summon Elemental Hero Wild Wingman!" Jaden announced.

Avian reappeared briefly on the field as both he and Wildheart leaped up into the fusion vortex. Emerging from the vortex was a version of Wildheart with Avian's wings, along with a set of tail feathers, and talons for hands and feet. A large tribal marking in the shape of a bird was on the hero's chest.

"Now I activate Wild Wingman's effect!" Jaden announced. "By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy one Spell or Trap card on the field! And the card I choose to destroy is Lightning Blade!"

Wild Wingman flapped his wings, creating a huge gust of wind that shattered Celtic Guardian's sword. The elf warrior's original sword reappeared in his hand.

"Not bad," Amane commented, "but your new hero has 1900 ATK, making him too strong to destroy my Celtic Guardian."

"That's where this card comes in, De-Fusion!" Jaden explained as he played another Spell card. "I split Wild Wingman back into Avian and Wildheart!"

The fused hero split back into his two original forms. Jaden knew that Wildheart's 1500 ATK made it just strong enough to destroy Amane's Celtic Guardian in battle while getting around the elf's effect. Avian on the other hand only had 1000 ATK, which wasn't strong, but could do a fair amount of damage with a direct attack.

"Wildheart, attack Celtic Guardian!" Jaden commanded. "Wild Slash!"

Wildheart slashed the elf warrior across the chest with his sword, destroying it and reducing Amane's life points to 3900. The crowed gasped as Amane was left open to a direct attack.

"Now Avian, attack Amane directly!" Jaden commanded "Featherbreak!"

Avian shot Amane with a barrage of feathers, reducing her life points to 2900.

"That ends my turn!" Jaden announced.

"That was an interesting move." Amane commented. "My move!"

The crowed watched Amane expectantly, as did Jaden.

"First I summon Marauding Captain in Attack Mode!" Amane announced.

An unshaven warrior in armor and a red cape appeared on Amane's side of the field.

"Now I activate Marauding Captain's effect and Special Summon Mataza the Zapper from my hand in Attack Mode!" Amane announced.

A dark haired warrior in green samurai armor carrying a sword appeared on the field.

"Next I equip Mataza with Fusion Sword Murasame Blade!" Amane announced.

Mataza's sword suddenly fused to his hand.

"Not only can Murasame Blade not be destroyed by card effects that destroy Spell cards, but it increases the equipped monster's ATK by 800 points." Amane explained. "That means Mataza's ATK rises from 1300 to 2100."

The crowed again cheered at how Amane had brought forth such a powerful monster.

"Now I equip Marauding Captain with Divine Sword-Phoenix Blade!" Amane announced. "This card increases Marauding Captain's ATK fro 1200 to 1500!"

The regular sword of Marauding Captain was replaced with a sword that had an ornate golden handle in the shape of a bird.

"There's one more thing I should probably explain." Amane mentioned. "Mataza the Zapper can attack twice in the same Battle Phase."

The crowed was absolutely thrilled by this turn around.

"Mataza, attack Wildheart!" Amane commanded. "Swift Slash!"

With incredible speed, Mataza slashed Wildheart across the chest, destroying the jungle hero. The strike reduced Jaden's life points to 3300.

"Mataza's not finished yet." Amane reminded Jaden. "Mataza, attack Avian with Swift Slash!"

Mataza quickly cut down Avian, reducing Jaden's life points to 2200.

"Now Marauding Captain, attack Jaden directly!" Amane commanded. "Phoenix Blade Slash!"

The unshaven warrior slashed Jaden across the chest with his sword. The strike reduced Jaden's life points to 700. This caused the crowed to go wild. Jaden was becoming excited as well. Amane was indeed a strong duelist, and she was trying with all her might to defeat Jaden.

"Wow, you're pretty good!" Jaden commented.

"Thanks." Amane replied. "I end my turn."

"My move!" Jaden announced as he drew his next card. "Because he's the only card in my hand, I can Special Summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in Defense Mode!"

A warrior in blue armor, a white cape, and grey water tanks on his back appeared on Jaden's field.

"Because I summoned Bubbleman while I had no cards in my hand or my side of the field, I can draw two more cards!" Jaden explained as he drew two more cards from his deck. Jaden looked at the cards and smirked. "Next I Normal Summon Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird in Attack Mode!"

A pinkish-red humanoid hummingbird with a pair of large white wings appeared next to Bubbleman.

"Now I activate O-Oversoul!" Jaden announced. "This Spell card lets me Special Summon a Normal Elemental Hero monster from my Graveyard! So I summon the card I discarded to activate Wild Wingman's effect, Elemental Hero Neos!"

In a flash of white light, Jaden's ace monster appeared on the field.

"Time for a Contact Fusion!" Jaden announced.

"Contact Fusion?" Amane asked in a confused tone.

"That's right!" Jaden replied. "I return Neos and Air Hummingbird to my deck to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Air Neos!"

Both Neos and Air Hummingbird leapt high into the air, vanishing from site. A moment later, Neos reappeared in an altered form. The color of his suit had changed to a pinkish-red, and the horn on his head had changed to give him the appearance of a bird. Pinkish-red spikes extended from the top of Neos's wrists, and his hands became more like talons. A pair of massive white wings was on Neos's back.

"When my life points are lower than my opponent's, Air Neos gains ATK equal to the difference!" Jaden explained. "This means that Air Neos's ATK rises from 2500 to 5400!"

The crowed gave out a shocked gasp.

"Air Neos, attack Marauding Captain!" Jaden commanded. "Neos Windstorm!"

With one flap of his mighty wings, Air Neos sent forth a powerful blade of wind that cut through Marauding Captain and hit Amane. The tomboy's life points were reduced to zero.

"That's game!" Jaden said as he did his trademark victory pose.

The crowed fell completely silent. Shion stood frozen with an expression of shock and awe on her face. Her plan to make Amane, her champion, look better than the current Etoile had completely backfired. Amane calmly walked over to Jaden with a smile on her face.

"That was a great duel." Amane commented. "I actually had fun."

"I had fun too." Jaden replied a he shook Amane's extended hand.

The people in the crowed quickly began to leave, until only Jaden, Amane, Hikari, Yaya, Tamao, and Nagisa were left.

"Oh, Amane, before you go, there's someone who wants to meet you." Jaden informed the woman prince as she was beginning to leave. "Her name is Hikari, and I guess she's a really big fan of yours"

Hikari gasped in shock when Jaden mentioned her name. Yaya gave the nervous blond a gentle shove forward.

"Hello." Amane greeted as she walked up to Hikari.

"Uh, h-hi." Hikari replied nervously.

"Wow, that Hikari sure is nervous." Jaden said quietly to himself.

"What do you expect?" Yubel asked as she suddenly reappeared next to Jaden. "She is meeting her crush for the first time."

"Her crush?" a confused Jaden asked. "But Amane's a girl."

"Oh, I think Hikari already knew that." Yubel replied. "After all, how could a boy be enrolled in an all girl school?"

"But that would mean… oh." Jaden said as he realized what Yubel was implying. He did not have a problem with it of course, but it was still a bit of a surprise. "Do you think that Amane is also…?"

"I have a hunch that she might be." Yubel responded. "In fact, we might be seeing the beginning of a love story."

* * *

><p>In a remote cave on Atarea Island, Pegasus walked up to where two of his men were standing in front of a large open chest.<p>

"Mr. Pegasus, we've confirmed that this chest did hold one of the cards we're looking for," one of the men said as Pegasus walked up to them, "but I'm afraid that the card itself is missing."

"I see." Pegasus replied as he stopped in front of the open chest. "This is very unfortunate."

Pegasus and his men finally took their attention away from the open chest when they heard the footsteps of someone else entering the cave. They all turned to see that it was the head mistress of the Astraea academies.

"Mr Pegasus, is it true?" the head mistress asked anxiously. "Are those cards really here?"

"I'm afraid so." Pegasus said with a worried look on his face. "In fact it appears that one of the cards has already been taken."

"Oh dear, if one of those cards has fallen into the hands of one of the students…" the head mistress began, but she could not bring herself to finish her sentence.

"This cave is on Lilum grounds." One of Pegasus's men cut in. "That means it's very possible for one of the students attending Lilum to have the card."

"As horrid as that theory sounds, I hope it's correct, because it means we still have a chance at retrieving it." Pegasus replied. "If the person we're after has even one of those cards, the consequences would be dire."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> The part where Jaden mistook Amane for a guy is somewhat of a Sailor Moon reference. Plus it just seemed like the kind of mistake that Jaden would make.

Review and let me know what you think.


	4. Shadow Over Lilum

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

* * *

><p>Chapter 4: Shadow Over Lilum<p>

Jaden's third morning on Astraea Island began like the previous two. He woke up in his guest room in the head mistress's mansion and got dressed as Pharaoh ate the expensive cat food that the maids had given him. Afterward, Jaden left his room to go down stairs to look for Pegasus, only to find Pegasus's aid, Croquet, waiting for him.

"Good morning Mr. Yuki." The man in black greeted.

"Let me guess, Mr. Pegasus isn't available again today, right?" Jaden asked, knowing all to well what the answer was.

"You have guessed correctly Mr. Yuki." Croquet replied. "There is still an urgent matter that requires Mr. Pegasus's personal attention. In the meantime, he has arranged a tour of St. Lilum Duel Academy. Your guides have already arrived."

Croquet stepped aside, allowing three girls to come into view. All three were wearing Lilum uniforms and duel disks. The first girl had orange hair done up in pigtails. The second girl had short, olive-green hair with buns on the sides and wore glasses. The third girl looked to be a few years younger than the first two. She had curly blond hair and pale-green eyes. The most interesting thing about the younger girl was that she carried around a brown teddy bear.

"You're Mr. Jaden Yuki, right?" the orange haired girl asked.

"That's right." Jaden replied. "And please, call me Jaden."

"I'm Kizuna Hyuga." The orange haired girl said, introducing herself. "The girl with the glasses is my best friend, Remon Natsume, and the cutie with the bear is Kagome Byakudan. We're your tour guides"

Jaden gave the girls a friendly wave in greeting.

"So, shall we get going?" Kizuna asked.

"I guess so." Jaden replied. With that, Jaden and his three tour guides headed for Lilum.

The walk over to Lilum was rather uneventful. All the way over, however, Jaden noticed that the girl with the bear, Kagome, was giving him a peculiar look. Soon enough, Jaden and his three companions had reached Lilum. He took a moment to take in the site before him. It was a large pink building with a light green roof.

"We present to you, St. Lilum Duel Academy!" Kizuna and Remon said together in unison, as they did a dramatic pose that pointed towards the school.

The two girls eagerly pulled Jaden into the building as Kagome followed close behind. As the group toured the academy, Jaden noticed how the students seemed so laid back and friendly. There was something amiss, however. Every now and than, Jaden would notice a bunch of students who looked really tired, like they had been up all night. It also seemed to Jaden that there weren't as many students as there were supposed to be. It was a Monday, yet many of the classrooms they passed seemed a little too empty.

"Lilum Academy is the youngest of the three schools here on the island." Remon explained. "While dueling is our primary focus, we also have a wide variety of clubs that focus on many different activities, such as cooking, costume designing, we even have a mystery solving club."

"I see." Jaden said as he nodded in understanding to what his tour guide was telling him. "Is it just me, or are there not as many students as there should be?"

"Well, there have been a bunch of students who've been calling in absent recently." Kizuna said, responding to Jaden's question. "The rumor is it's because of the special late night dueling club that our president started."

"Late night dueling club?" Jaden asked.

"Yes, our student council president, Chikaru Minamoto, started it late last year." Remon explained. "It's actually a little hard to get into. Kizuna and I aren't even in it. Anyway, the rumor is that the students are absent because they dueled themselves to exhaustion during the meetings because the president made them, but I wouldn't believe it. President Chikaru isn't someone who'd make people duel until they dropped. There's probably just some bug going around."

Jaden thought about when he first saw Lilum's student council president during his tour of Miator. He remembered the bad feeling that he'd gotten from her; like that she was far more dangerous than she appeared. Jaden had to wonder if the rumor about why so many of the students were absent was indeed true.

"I think that girl Chikaru is up to no good." Yubel said as she appeared beside Jaden.

"I think you might be right." Jaden replied quietly so as to not be overheard by his tour guides.

Just as Jaden was about to follow Kizuna and Remon down the hallway on their left, he felt a tug on his right arm. He turned to see that it was Kagome, who had been walking right behind him the whole time.

"Is something wrong?" Jaden asked the young girl. Kagome looked silently at Jaden for a few moments.

"…Percival thinks that there's something making the president act strange. Something bad." Kagome finally answered.

"Percival?" Jaden asked with a confused look.

"I think she means her little friend." Yubel said, pointing a clawed finger at Kagome's bear. Jaden nodded in understanding.

"What exactly is making your student council president act strange?" Jaden asked.

"Percival doesn't know." Kagome replied. "All he knows is that he gets a really scary feeling from the President."

Jaden took a moment to ponder what Kagome had told him. There was something that seemed to be controlling Chikaru, or at least something that was affecting Chikaru's mind.

"Can you and your friend do something about what's making the president act strange?" Kagome asked.

"Friend?" Jaden asked, once again a little confused. Kagome pointed at the spot where Yubel was standing, or rather floating, surprising both Jaden and Yubel a little.

"I think this girl can see Duel Monster spirits." Yubel theorized.

"I think you're right." Jaden replied. He looked back at Kagome and gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry Kagome, we'll try and figure out what's going on."

A moment later, Kizuna returned from the hallway she and Remon went down before Jaden and Kagome stopped to have their little talk.

"Hey, c'mon you two! We're supposed to be having a tour here!" Kizuna scolded.

"Sorry, we're coming." Jaden replied, and with that, Jaden and Kagome followed the orange haired girl down the hall on the left where Remon was waiting for them.

As the tour continued, Jaden pondered what was making Chikaru act strange. Since it seemed that Kagome had the ability to see Duel Monster spirits, and was able to sense whatever it was that was affecting Chikaru, Jaden theorized that perhaps he was dealing with some sort of malevolent Duel Monster. It wouldn't have been the first time Jaden encountered such a thing. Yubel herself was once such a creature before Jaden had fused himself with her. The question at the moment was just what Duel Monster was he dealing with?

A little while later, Jaden's tour guides had led him outside to a spot right behind the school. There in the middle of the field was Chikaru, sitting on a blanket drinking tea. Her duel disk was lying next to her. As the group approached Chikaru, Jaden felt the same sense of danger that he had felt when he had first seen Lilum's student council president. The group stopped when they reached the blanket, and the raven-haired girl looked up and gave them a warm smile.

"Ah, you must be Jaden Yuki." Chikaru observed. "I am Chikaru Minamoto, Lilum's student council president. I trust that you've been enjoying your tour of our academy."

Jaden merely nodded as he gave Chikaru a suspicious look. Kagome hid behind Jaden.

"Please, have a seat." Chikaru warmly offered. "I'm sure you must be a little tired of walking by now. Lilum is a rather large school, and I'll bet that it took a little effort to keep up with Kizuna and Remon."

Reluctantly, Jaden sat on the blanket across from Chikaru. Kizuna, Kagome, and Remon all sat off to Jaden's left. Though Kagome's face did not show any sign of emotion, Jaden could tell that she was a little afraid, since he noticed her holding her teddy bear, Percival, a bit tighter.

"Tell me Mr. Yuki, what do you think of St. Lilum Duel Academy?" Chikaru asked as she took another sip of tea.

"It seems like a nice school." Jaden replied, not taking his eyes off of Chikaru.

"And what about the students?" Chikaru asked. "Do you think that they are strong duelists?"

"I wouldn't know, since I haven't seen any of them in action." Jaden replied. This response caused Chikaru to chuckle a bit.

"No, I suppose not." Chikaru said. "You've only seen the students of Miator and Spica in action. Though I would not blame you at all if you thought that Lilum students were weak."

This statement caused Jaden to raise an eyebrow.

"After all, everyone underestimates the students of Lilum." Chikaru continued. "Especially the students from Miator and Spica. They're too busy competing with each other to consider anyone from Lilum to be a real threat, and I much prefer that they do."

"Why is that?" Jaden asked, still with a suspicious look.

"Because that way they'll never see it coming when the students of Lilum finally crush Miator and Spica." Chikaru gleefully answered. "As long as they fight amongst themselves, they'll never see the true threat before them until it's too late."

Chikaru's words caused Jaden to remember what he overheard during the meeting between the three student council presidents. He remembered hearing that Chikaru had suggested something to Miyuki before the meeting that caused Miyuki and Shion to have a huge argument. It then dawned on Jaden that perhaps Chikaru was trying to make the rivalry that already existed between Miator and Spica even worse.

"Just when are Miator and Spica going to learn how powerful the students of Lilum are?" Jaden asked in a slightly suspicious tone.

"Oh, they'll learn very soon." Chikaru answered with a sly smirk. "This will be our year. The year that everyone will learn about the true power of Lilum."

"Does this late night dueling club that you've started have anything with how everyone will learn about Lilum's power?" Jaden asked.

"Oh dear, how ever did you hear about that?" Chikaru asked with a smile that was all too innocent. "Did Kizuna and Remon tell you?"

"They mentioned a rumor that your club was the reason why a lot of the students at Lilum have been absent." Jaden answered.

"Well, I will admit that I might be pushing a few of the club members a little too hard." Chikaru said innocently. "But it's merely been for the benefit of preparing Lilum for the coming battle. You needn't worry about it."

Chikaru's statement had startled Kizuna and Remon. Jaden, meanwhile, was growing more and more concerned that Chikaru had become corrupted somehow.

"Just what battle are you preparing for?" Jaden asked, narrowing his eyes a little at the raven-haired girl before him. Chikaru merely smiled at Jaden and suddenly picked up her duel disk and stood up.

"You know Mr. Yuki, you've made quite a name for yourself on Atsraea Island." Chikaru began. "On your first night here, you defeated the Etoile. It's also rumored that you defeated Miator's student council president, and just yesterday you defeated Spica's own Prince Amane."

"What are you getting at?" Jaden asked. Although he knew very well what Chikaru was about to ask.

"I'm saying that all I want is to experience your power for myself." Chikaru answered as she put on her duel disk. "At the same time, I also want to show you the power of Lilum. I think you'll be very surprised. So do you except my challenge?"

Jaden thought for a moment about what to do, and decided that the only way to get to the bottom of what was going on at Lilum was to duel Chikaru. Jaden stood up to face Chikaru.

"I'll take you on!" Jaden exclaimed.

A moment later, Jaden and Chikaru were facing each other, ready to begin their duel. Kizuna, Kagome, and Remon remained sitting on the blanket in order to watch. Once Jaden and Chikaru activated their duel disks, their life points were both set to 4000, and the duel began.

"I shall start things off." Chikaru announced as she drew the first card from her deck. "I'll set one monster on the field along with one other set card and end my turn."

Jaden looked at his hand. He didn't have anything for a Fusion Summon, but there was something he could do.

"I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart in Attack Mode!" Jaden announced.

Jaden's wilderness hero appeared on the field in front of him. Jaden knew that Wildheart could survive whatever Trap Chikaru had waiting, but he wasn't sure about Chikaru's facedown monster. For one thing, Wildheart only had 1500 ATK points, and there were plenty of monsters out there that had much higher DEF. If Chikaru's card were one of those monsters, Jaden would take damage. There was also the possibility that the monster in question had some sort of effect that could destroy Wildheart. Jaden decided that he had no choice but to risk an attack.

"Wildheart, attack Chikaru's facedown monster!" Jaden commanded. "Wild Slash!"

Wildheart lunged at the unknown monster with his sword. Moments before the attack hit, the card was flipped up, revealing a shriveled, tan skinned monster with a skull-like face, wearing a purple robe and carrying a scythe. The creature blocked Wildheart's sword with its scythe, ending the battle.

"The monster you attacked is called Spirit Reaper." Chikaru explained. "And while it has only has 200 DEF, it can't be destroyed by battle."

Jaden thought about what to do next. He had a couple Trap card of his own in his hand, Hero Signal and Hero Barrier. Jaden decided that he could at least put up a good defense.

"Next I'll lay down a couple face downs!" Jaden announced.

"I was hoping you'd do that." Chikaru cut in. "I activate my own facedown, Xing Zhen Hu! I select two Spell or Trap cards on my opponent's side of the field, and Xing Zhen Hu prevents those cards from being activated!"

Jaden watched as the two Traps he put on the field were suddenly tied down with rope, putting an end to his defense.

"I end my turn!" Jaden reluctantly announced.

"So it's my turn again." Chikaru said with an innocent yet evil smile as she drew her next card.

Jaden suddenly felt a chill run down his spine as Chikaru drew her new card. He knew that something was coming, something powerful and evil.

"First I summon Double Coston!" Chikaru announced.

A small black blob with small, beady green eyes, a mouth, and two small, very stubby arms appeared on the field next to the Spirit Reaper.

"Next I activate a Spell card, Double Summon!" Chikaru announced. "This lets me perform another Normal Summon this turn."

Jaden knew what was happening. Chikaru was preparing to sacrifice her two monsters to summon a more powerful one.

"Just so you know, Double Coston can be used as two tributes when Tribute Summoning a Dark attribute monster." Chikaru explained. "This means I essentially have three sacrifices."

With those words, Coston divided like a single celled life form, creating a second version of itself. Jaden knew that Chikaru was about to summon whatever he had been sensing.

"Now, I sacrifice Spirit Reaper and Double Coston to summon, The Wicked Eraser!" Chikaru announced.

The sky suddenly turned dark with clouds and the wind picked up. Chikaru's three monsters shattered into particles of light, and a huge beam of purple light shot into the sky. The light faded, revealing a massive, serpentine dragon. The dragon was mostly brown. It had a well-developed torso that supported a pair of large wings. There was a small green gemstone in the center of the dragon's chest, and two larger red gemstones on each shoulder. The creature's arms were short, but ended in large, well-developed claws. Atop the creature's neck was a head that was mostly a large beak. Beneath the beak was a small, demonic face, and on the sides of the head was a pair of horns. In the center of what could be called the creature's forehead was another green gemstone.

"W-what is that thing?" a frightened Kizuna asked.

"I don't know!" an equally frightened Remon answered.

Kagome's response to the arrival of Chikaru's monster was to squeeze her bear even tighter. Jaden could sense the immense power that was coming from The Wicked Eraser. It was similar to the power of the Sacred Beast cards that were locked away at his old academy, and to the power of Yugi Muto's Egyptian God cards. The power that was coming from Chikaru's monster seemed a little different though. It was darker, and somehow more noxious. Jaden knew that The Wicked Eraser was what was corrupting Chikaru.

"The Wicked Eraser's ATK is equal to the number of cards on my opponent's side of the field times 1000." Chikaru explained. "Right now you have three cards, so the Eraser's ATK is 3000."

At that moment, Jaden wished that he could activate his Hero Barrier Trap to stop The Wicked Eraser from attacking, but he couldn't thanks to Chikaru's own Trap card.

"Eraser, destroy Wildheart and show Jaden your power!" Chikaru commanded. "Digestive Breath!"

The Eraser opened its massive beak and sprayed Wildheart with acid. Jaden watched in horror as Wildheart melted into a puddle and evaporated. The attack had reduced his life points from 4000 to 2500.

"My Eraser's ATK drops to 2000 now that your monster is gone." Chikaru explained. "But it will rise if you put more cards on the field."

Jaden was beginning to fully comprehend the power that he was facing. The Wicked Eraser was indeed a God Card, but where did it come from? Chikaru began to laugh maniacally.

"THIS is the card that I will use to bring Lilum to power!" Chikaru proclaimed. "No one will be able to stand against the power of The Wicked Eraser!"

"You think so?" Jaden asked calmly as he briefly closed his eyes, only to open them up again and reveal that they were glowing. His right eye glowed bright orange while his left glowed a bright teal. Those were the eyes that represented the power of Yubel within him.

"H-how are…?" a slightly startled Chikaru asked.

"You say that it's a mistake to underestimate the power of Lilum students?" Jaden asked. "Well it's an even bigger mistake to underestimate mine!"

* * *

><p>Review and let me know what you think.<p> 


	5. Erased

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Crisis.

* * *

><p>Chapter 5: Erased<p>

In the field behind St. Lilum Duel Academy, Jaden was in a dire situation. Though he still had 2500 life points, his opponent, Chikaru Minamoto, had summoned a very evil and powerful monster, The Wicked Eraser. Jaden knew that the Eraser was what had been corrupting Chikaru's mind, causing her to manipulate the student council presidents of Miator and Spica to go against each other, and to push Lilum students to train until they dropped. All so she could fulfill the twisted desire to essentially conquer the academies of Astaea Island. The worst thing about The Wicked Eraser was that Jaden could sense that it somehow had the power of a God Card.

This had forced Jaden to call upon the power of the Supreme King and Yubel that was within him, causing his right eye to glow orange and his left eye to glow teal. The change in Jaden's eyes had shocked Chikaru, as well as two of Jaden's tour guides, Kizuna and Remon. Jaden's third tour guide, Kagome, on the other hand, was not at all shocked to see Jaden's eyes change. After all, she had already sensed the power within him, and had even seen Yubel with her own eyes.

"Hmph, I don't know what kind of powers you claim to have," Chikaru said as a confident smile returned to her face, "but they're no match for the power of my Eraser. I end my turn."

"We'll see about that!" Jaden proclaimed as he drew his next card.

"What kind of weird duel is this?" Kizuna asked.

"I don't know, but I kinda hope that Jaden wins." Remon answered. "Because President Chikaru's monster is really scary!"

"First I activate Convert Contact!" Jaden announced. "By sending Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin from my hand and Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird from my deck to the Graveyard, I can draw two more cards!"

Jaden hoped that the two cards he drew would be enough to help him defeat The Wicked Eraser.

"Next I activate Fake Hero!" Jaden announced. "This card lets me Special Summon an Elemental Hero monster from my hand. So I summon Elemental Hero Neos!"

Jaden's ace monster appeared on the field.

"2500 ATK points, a powerful monster to be sure." Chikaru observed. "Unfortunately, because you now have three monsters on your side of the field, my Eraser's ATK becomes 3000 again."

"I'm not done yet!" Jaden announced. "Now I play, Miracle Contact!"

"Miracle Contact?" Chikaru asked with a raised eyebrow.

"By returning monsters listed on a Neos Fusion monster from my field and Graveyard to the deck, I can summon that monster!" Jaden explained. "So I Contact Fuse Neos, Air Hummingbird, and Aqua Dolphin to summon Elemental Hero Storm Neos!"

Air Hummingbird and the light-blue humanoid dolphin that was Aqua Dolphin appeared briefly on the field next to Neos before all three monsters jumped high into the sky, completely disappearing from sight. A moment later, Neos returned in a different form. Much of Neos's body was covered in aqua-blue armor, complete with a helmet that gave Neos's head a bird-like appearance. The parts of his body suit that were visible had turned dark-blue. A large pair of wings grew from Neos's back. Three blades extended from the armor on both of Neos's wrists.

"So now the ATK of our monsters is even." Chikaru observed.

"Not for long!" Jaden proclaimed. "I activate the ability of Storm Neos, which is to destroy all Spell and Trap cards on the field!"

With one flap of his wings, Storm Neos sent out a storm of wind that shattered all of the Trap cards that were on the field.

"Now that my sealed Trap cards are gone, the ATK of your Wicked Eraser drops to 1000!" Jaden explained.

"So it does." Chikaru calmly confirmed, the confident smile never leaving her face.

"Storm Neos, destroy The Wicked Eraser!" Jaden commanded. "Typhoon Slash!"

Storm Neos made a slashing motion with his right arm, sending a blade of wind that decapitated The Wicked Eraser. The attack had reduced Chikaru's life points from 4000 to 2000. Kizuna and Remon cheered as the Eraser's head hit the ground, but soon Jaden noticed that something was wrong. The Wicked Eraser's body had not shattered. Suddenly, black blood started pouring from the Eraser's neck, spilling on to the ground and creating a huge puddle. The puddle continued to grow and spread over the field. The body and head of the eraser suddenly started to sink into the pool of blood.

"W-what's going on?" Jaden asked in a slightly frightened tone.

"When The Wicked Eraser is destroyed, it destroys every other card on the field as well." Chikaru explained.

Even after the body of The Wicked Eraser sank into the pool of black blood, the blood continued to spread. It suddenly reached up and grabbed Storm Neos. The hero struggled in vain to escape as he was pulled below. Jaden's attention was pulled away from the duel when he heard a terrible scream from where Kizuna, Kagome, and Remon were sitting. He turned to see that the blood had somehow spread over to where the girls were sitting and was starting to engulf them. Jaden tried to run over to the trio to try and save them, but he found that he couldn't lift his feet. He looked down and saw that the black blood of the Eraser had spread around his feet, and was starting to pull him into darkness. Jaden looked back across the field and saw that the same thing was happening to Chikaru.

"It seems that we are being erased as well." Chikaru laughed evilly just before she was pulled under.

Jaden heard one final scream from Kizuna just before she, Kagome, and Remon were pulled into the darkness. Jaden struggled with all of his strength to pull against the black blood, but it was no use. He could feel the tendrils of the blood touch the skin of his hands and face. The tendrils felt ice cold, as if they were devoid of life. Jaden was pulled down into the depths.

A moment later, Jaden found that he was standing in complete darkness. He could see no sky, no ground, not a single thing. Jaden looked around in vain for Kizuna and the others, but he could see no one, nothing. Only complete blackness.

"Are you alright?" a concerned Yubel asked as she appeared behind Jaden.

"I think so." Jaden replied. "Although I have no clue where we are."

Their conversation was broken when they heard a maniacal laugh close by, though they could not quite tell from where. Jaden could tell however that the laugh belonged to Chikaru.

"This is the true power of The Wicked Eraser!" Chikaru explained. "This is the power that I shall use to bring Lilum to power! Soon, both Miator and Spica will be erased, leaving only Lilum as the supreme academy on the island!"

"Her insanity seems to have gotten worse." Yubel observed.

"No kidding!" Jaden agreed.

"Since you can't seem to do anything else, I'll go ahead and begin my turn!" Chikaru gleefully announced. "First I shall activate, Call of the Mummy!"

It was very faint, but as soon as Chikaru played her Spell card, Jaden could make out Chikaru standing across from him in the darkness.

"Thanks to Call of the Mummy, I can Special Summon a Zombie-type monster from my hand when I have no monsters on the field." Chikaru explained. "So now I Special Summon Lich Lord, King of the Underworld!"

Chikaru's monster emerged from the darkness. It was a walking skeleton, brown with age. It wore a very old and tattered red hooded cloak, and on its back was a pair of large, black-feathered wings. Atop the hooded skull of the creature was an ancient crown. In its right hand it carried a long wooden staff with a glowing red gemstone on the top. An eerie red light glowed from the left eye socket of the skull.

"Lich Lord has 2400 ATK points, which is almost equal to the amount of life points that you have now." Chikaru explained. "Lich Lord, attack Mr. Yuki with Necro Magic Blast!"

The Lich Lord fired a blast of red, spectral energy in the form of a skull from the gemstone in its staff. The attack hit Jaden, and he felt as if the life had been sucked out of him. Jaden was left with only 100 life points.

"I'll end my turn there." Chikaru announced.

"It seems that the only way out of this nothingness is to win the duel." Yubel theorized.

Jaden nodded in agreement as he drew his next card. Despite the darkness, Jaden could see the card he drew. It wasn't much, but it could at least buy him some time.

"I'll lay down a facedown and end my turn!" Jaden announced as he placed the card in his duel disk.

"Oh dear, it looks like you couldn't draw anything that could help you." Chikaru said with a tone of psychotic glee as she drew her card. "I know it's a little pointless, but for my next move, I shall summon Goblin Zombie!"

A skeletal zombie with huge red eyes carrying a sword appeared next to the Lich Lord.

"Well, I think it's time to end this." Chikaru announced. "Lich Lord, attack Mr. Yuki directly! Necro magic Blast!"

The Lich Lord shot another blast of spectral energy at Jaden.

"I activate my facedown, Negate Attack!" Jaden announced.

The spectral blast from the Lich Lord vanished into a vortex that appeared in front of Jaden.

"Well, I guess that end my turn." Chikaru said with a slightly annoyed tone.

Jaden knew that the next card he drew would be his last one, and he prayed that it would be a card that could help him win the duel. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he lost. Jaden looked at the card and breathed a sigh of relief.

"First I play Pot of Greed in order to draw to cards!" Jaden announced, drawing two more cards from his deck.

"Next I play E-Emergency Call!" Jaden announced. "This card lets me add any Elemental Hero from my deck to my hand!"

Jaden knew exactly which Hero to add to his hand.

"Now I activate Ancient Rules!" Jaden announced. "This card lets me Special Summon a level five or higher Normal monster from my hand! Reappear now, Elemental Hero Neos!"

Jaden's ace monster reappeared on the field in his original form.

"I equip Neos with Neos Force!" Jaden announced. "Not only does this card increase Neos's ATK by 800 points, but now when Neos destroys a monster, my opponent takes damage equal to the destroyed monster's ATK!"

Neos's right fist began to glow with a bright blue light that illuminated some of the surrounding darkness.

"Neos, cast down the Lich Lord and dispel this darkness!" Jaden commanded. "Force of Neospace!"

With that, Neos leapt into the air and swung his glowing fist into the face of the Lich Lord's skull. The impact caused an explosion that was so bright, Jaden had to cover his eyes. Across the field, Jaden could hear Chikaru scream in pain as her life points dropped to zero. When the light cleared, Jaden saw that he was back out in the field behind Lilum. The sky was once again calm.

"That was a close one." Yubel said causing Jaden to nod in agreement as his glowing eyes returned to their usual brown color.

Jaden looked over and saw that Kizuna, Remon, and Kagome had returned. Kizuna and Remon were clinging to each other for dear life. After a moment, both girls opened their eyes and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that things had returned to normal. Kagome's face retained its usual calm expression, but Jaden thought that if Kagome squeezed her bear any tighter, the head would pop off.

"Are you three alright?" Jaden asked from where he was standing.

"I-I think so." Remon answered a bit shakily.

Jaden turned his attention to Chikaru, who was lying unconscious on the ground. Just as Jaden was about to walk over to the unconscious raven-haired girl, a sudden explosion stopped him. Jaden, Kagome, Kizuna, and Remon coughed from the smoke. As the smoke cleared a little, Jaden could see a masked figure in a black, skin tight bodysuit standing before him. It wasn't hard for him to tell that the masked figure was a young woman.

"Who are you?" Jaden asked the masked woman.

"That's none of your concern!" the masked woman replied. "All you need to know is that I've come for this!"

The masked woman held up a card, and Jaden could tell that the card was The Wicked Eraser.

"Wait, you shouldn't take that card! It's far too dangerous!" Jaden tried to explain.

The masked woman replied only by throwing another smoke bomb to the ground, causing the cloud of smoke that had already been there to grow thicker. Eventually the smoke cleared, and the masked woman was long gone. Jaden wondered if he should try and go after the girl who had taken the God Card, but decided that he should worry about getting Chikaru and the others some help.

A short time later, Jaden had gotten Chikaru, and his three tour guides to the Lilum infirmary. Kizuna, Remon, and Kagome were more or less all right, aside from a little smoke inhalation. Chikaru on the other hand, was still unconscious. Jaden and the others decided to wait around for a while, hoping that Chikaru would wake up. About two hours later, Chikaru finally regained consciousness.

"Where… am I?" Chikaru asked weakly.

"You're in the nurse's office in Lilum." Jaden replied from his seat next to Chikaru's bed.

"Who are you?" Chikaru asked Jaden.

"I'm Jaden Yuki, the visiting pro-duelist." Jaden replied. "Don't you remember?"

"A little, I think." Chikaru responded. "It's all kind of a blur though."

"What's the last thing you clearly remember?" Jaden asked.

"The last thing I remember was walking through the forest near Lilum." Chikaru answered. "It was late in the afternoon, and I didn't have any duties to perform that day, so I decided to take a walk. Maybe pick some flowers. I ended up going deeper into the forest than I'd gone before, and I came across some sort of cave. Against my better judgment, I went in. It was a small cave, but at the end of it, I found a small box, a chest with Lilum's school seal on it. I took a closer look at the chest. It wasn't locked. Then I heard a voice speaking to me."

"A voice?" Jaden asked. Chikaru nodded.

"It was as if it was speaking to me in my head." Chikaru continued. "The voice said that if I opened the chest, my dearest wish would be granted, and I would be able to achieve my greatest desires. I opened to box and found a card inside."

"The Wicked Eraser?" Jaden asked. Again, Chikaru nodded.

"When I picked up the card, at first it felt like my head was going to explode, but then it passed, and I was overcome by an incredible feeling of exhilaration. I don't remember too much after that."

At that point, Jaden could see that Chikaru had become too exhausted to continue talking.

"I'll leave you alone to get some rest." Jaden said as he got up. Chikaru nodded one last time before closing her eyes to sleep.

"Is President Chikaru going to be all right?" Kizuna asked Jaden as soon as he was far enough away from the sleeping Chikaru.

"I think so." Jaden replied. "But I'd sure like to know where that card came from."

"I believe I can answer that question." A voice suddenly said. Jaden and the three girls turned their heads to the source of the voice, and saw that it was Pegasus. Pegasus entered the room with Croquet and the head mistress following close behind.

"Mr. Pegasus!" Jaden exclaimed. "You know something about The Wicked Eraser?"

"I'm afraid so." Pegasus replied with a sad expression on his face. "I'm sorry to have dragged you into this my boy."

* * *

><p>In an abandoned house deep on the grounds of Miator, a mysterious man sat in a dark room. His only source of light was from a small window, placed high on the wall behind him. The man sat in a chair, looking at a Duel Monsters card that he was holding in his right hand.<p>

"It won't be too much longer." The man said to himself.

The only door to the room suddenly opened, and a young woman in a black mask and bodysuit walked in. The woman took off her mask, but there was not enough light to see her face. Not that the man needed to see her face, for he knew who she was.

"So, how did things go?" the man in darkness asked.

"I have the card." The young woman responded as she handed the man the card she was carrying.

"Ah, The Wicked Eraser." The man said as he took the card. "At last, I'm one step closer to achieving my goal. Was it in the hands of the girl you thought it was?"

"The card was being used by Chikaru Minamoto, as I had thought." The woman replied.

"I see. Was it hard for you to defeat her?" the mystery man asked.

"I was not the one to defeat her." The mystery woman replied. "Jaden Yuki was."

"Jaden Yuki?' the man asked, a little confused. "Ah yes, the visiting pro-duelist you mentioned a few days ago. He must be quite powerful if he was able to defeat the wielder of a Wicked God. Even though it was a wielder who did not know how to fully use the God's power."

"I still haven't been able to find the other two cards." The woman informed.

"Don't worry my dear." The man said reassuringly. "The other two God Cards will reveal themselves soon enough. Once they do, we will have what we need to get what we both desire."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> It was actually kind of fun writing Chikaru as evil. I kinda wish I had done it longer in this story. By the way, Chikaru's evil personality was greatly influenced by how she acted in the manga. Anyway, you've probably all guessed the identity of the guy after The Wicked Gods, but can you guess who the girl working for him is? Stay tuned.

Review and let me know what you think.


	6. Tale of the Wicked Gods

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

* * *

><p>Chapter 6: Tale of the Wicked Gods<p>

After saying goodbye to the three girls who were his tour guides at Lilum, Jaden returned to the head mistress's mansion, along with Pegasus, Croquet, and the head mistress herself. After the four had settled down in the mansion's sitting room, Jaden broke the awkward silence that had been present since they left Lilum.

"Mr. Pegasus, you said that you knew about the card that Chikaru was using. I'd like to know what that information is." Jaden calmly demanded.

"Yes, and you do have the right to know." Pegasus said as he gently placed his cup and saucer on the table in front of him. There was a short pause before Pegasus continued to speak. "I guess I should start by telling you that the card you faced today is not the only one of its kind. There are two others."

"Two?" Jaden asked in surprise. "Mr. Pegasus, are these cards...?"

"Yes," Pegasus replied before Jaden had a chance to finish his question, "the card you faced today and the other two like it are God Cards. They are known as the Jashin, The Wicked Gods, and as you've seen, they are quite evil."

Jaden was shocked by what Pegasus had told him. Not only was there another set of God Cards, but they were an evil set. Perhaps even more evil than the Sacred Beasts.

"Mr. Pegasus… did you create those cards?" Jaden asked a bit hesitantly.

"No, I did not create The Wicked Gods." Pegasus answered. "But I do know who did."

There was another pause, and Jaden saw a sad look appear on Pegasus's face.

"It all started many years ago." Pegasus began. "It was not long after I had created Duel Monsters. I had taken in several orphans to train them to become duelists and card designers. It was a sort of early version of the duel academies that exist today. Although looking back, I suppose I had really started that project to fill the void of loneliness left by the passing of my late wife. My two best pupils were a pair of twin brothers, Gekko and Yako Tenma.

"The Tenma brothers were my best students, and over time I had grown quite close to them. They were like the sons I never had." At that point, there was another pause.

"What happened to them?" Jaden asked. It was a few moments before Pegasus continued his story.

"I suppose I am the one to blame for what eventually happened." Pegasus continued. "My obsession with trying to bring back my wife from the great beyond and the actions I took to achieve that goal were not exactly the actions of a good parent. As I said, I had grown close to the Tenma brothers. I had even told them of how I had gotten the Millennium Eye, and of my plans to bring back my wife. Even though those plans involved causing great harm to others, my boys fully supported me. It was after my plans had failed that the trouble began.

"My defeat to Yugi-boy and the lose of the Millennium Eye to that creature inside of the Millennium Ring had caused me to think about all of the wrongs I had committed to achieve my plan. I realized that what I was trying to achieve was unnatural, and that the ends did not at all justify the means. At that time, both Gekko and Yako wanted to avenge me, but I had told them that it would have been wrong for them to get revenge on Yugi-boy for ruining my plans, since I had already caused him so much harm. Gekko supported my decision. Yako, however, did not seem to understand why I didn't want revenge. Still, Yako respected my wishes.

"Things got worse after the Battle City tournament however. Yako was furious that Yugi-boy had won the Egyptian God cards, and that I was doing nothing to reclaim them. I had told both Gekko and Yako about how I created the Egytian God cards, and why I decided to seal them away. So Yako could not understand why I would let anyone use the God Cards, especially Yugi Muto, the one who had ruined my plans. Gekko of course once again respected my wishes, but my decision not to try and take the God Cards was the last straw for Yako."

"Yako created the Wicked Gods, didn't he?" Jaden asked. Pegasus nodded.

"Somehow, Yako was able to get a hold of my original research on the Egyptian God monsters." Pegasus continued. "He had used that data, along with his own research to create a new set of Gods, Gods that were filled with malevolence, embodiments of pure evil."

"What happened after Yako created the cards?" Jaden asked. There was another pause. Jaden could see that it was not an easy story for Pegasus to tell.

"Gekko and I did not learn of what Yako was doing until it was to late." Pegasus finally continued. "Gekko decided to confront Yako on his own without telling me. The two of them had a duel, though I did not see it. I had found them several hours afterward. Somehow, Gekko had managed to win against the Wicked Gods. The results were tragic, however. The duel had left Yako in a coma."

"Did Yako ever wake up?" Jaden asked. Pegasus sadly shook his head.

"He's still in the hospital." Pegasus finally answered. "And not long after the incident occurred, Gekko had decided to strike out on his own for some reason. I haven't seen Gekko in years."

The room fell silent again. Pegasus leaned back in his chair, and Jaden could see a small tear roll down his cheek.

"Neither Master Pegasus or Master Gekko could bring themselves to destroy the cards Master Yako had created." Croquet cut in, seeing that his boss was no longer able to speak. "It was decided that the cards would be locked away and brought to a location that neither Master Pegasus, Master Gekko, or myself would know."

"So you didn't even know that the cards were here?" Jaden asked in surprise.

"We were only informed of possible locations of where the cards were sealed." Croquet replied. "All the locations were duel academies that Master Pegasus himself helped to start. The three academies on this island are among them."

"So I'm guessing that we came here is because someone's now after the Wicked Gods." Jaden theorized. Croquet's nod confirmed that Jaden's theory was correct.

"A few days ago, we had heard rumors of someone trying to locate the cards on this island." Croquet explained. "Master Pegasus didn't want to take the chance that the rumors were false. We brought you along, Mr. Yuki, to deal with whoever is after the cards, and to take care of any students who came across the cards and were using them."

"You could've told me the real reason why we were coming here." Jaden exclaimed.

"I was afraid that you wouldn't come here if you knew the real reason." Pegasus cut in. The card designer had finally regained enough of his composure to speak again. "I've heard about how you prefer to stay out of supernatural affairs."

"That doesn't mean that I'd not want to help." Jaden replied. "I've seen what The Wicked Eraser did to poor Chikaru. Those cards are way too dangerous. I'll do everything in my power to make sure the Wicked Gods don't fall into the wrong hands!"

"Well, at least we have the first one in our possession." The head mistress said, finally adding to the conversation.

"Actually, we don't." Jaden said, startling everyone. "Right after I won the duel, some girl in some kind of ninja outfit arrived and took the card before I could do anything."

The room fell silent again. Shocked looks were on the faces of Pegasus and the head mistress.

"Oh dear, it's worse than I thought." Pegasus said in a worried tone.

"Don't worry!" Jaden proclaimed. "I'll find who took the card, and make sure that the other two Wicked Gods don't fall into the wrong hands!"

"Thank you." Pegasus replied with a slightly worried smile. With that, Jaden began to head back to his room.

"One last thing young man." The head mistress said, stopping Jaden in his tracks. "I must ask you not to tell any of the students here about any of this. I will not have panic on this island."

Jaden looked back and nodded before leaving. Back in his guest room, Jaden thought long and hard about everything he had heard about the Wicked Gods. The biggest question on his mind was who was after the cards. Jaden's first thought was that Gekko Tenma was the culprit, but he decided that it was unlikely. After all, Yako was the one that created the Wicked Gods; Gekko was the one that helped seal them away. Plus the person who took The Wicked Eraser was a woman. Athough Jaden admitted to himself that she could've been a henchman of some sort. After awhile, Jaden decided that his next course of action would be to look for the remaining Gods before someone else found them.

The next morning, Jaden went back to the Lilum infirmary to visit Chikaru. Kizuna, Remon, and Kagome were also there. Jaden told the four girls everything he had heard about the Wicked Gods. He decided that the four Lilum girls had the right to know, since they were already involved. Chikaru and the others promised Jaden not to tell anyone else what they had heard. With that done, Jaden left to go find the other two Wicked Gods, though he had no idea where to start looking.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere on Astraea Island, Shizuma was tending to the flowers in the Etoile greenhouse. It was one of the few of her duties as Etoile that Shizuma still enjoyed. Though even working in the greenhouse had become less enjoyable ever since "she" had gone. The flowers of the greenhouse were still beautiful, but even they had lost their color when she lost "her." Still, Shizuma found her work in the greenhouse relaxing, and it would be one of the things she would miss after graduating.<p>

Shizuma was suddenly interrupted from her work when she heard the voice of someone entering the greenhouse.

"Hello, is anyone here?" a familiar voice asked. Shizuma recognized the voice immediately. It was the voice of that pretty new transfer student that she had her eye on.

"Well, this is a surprise." Shizuma said as she emerged from the corner of the greenhouse she was working in to find a surprised Nagisa.

"O-oh, Etoile! I had no idea that you were here!" Nagisa exclaimed in surprise.

"There's no need to be so formal." The silver haired girl chuckled. "You can call me Shizuma."

"Oh, okay." Nagisa said with a tone of surprise. Shizuma found the girl's nervousness very cute.

"So what brings you to my greenhouse?" Shizuma asked.

"Your greenhouse?" a confused Nagisa asked.

"Well, sort of." Shizuma answered. "This is actually the private greenhouse where the Etoile, in this case me, prepares the flowers that are used for certain school ceremonies."

"Oh, so there's no club that uses this greenhouse." Nagisa replied with a tone of disappointment.

"Why, what's wrong." A concerned Shizuma asked. She did not like seeing the redhead unhappy.

"Well, I've been trying to find an after school club I can do." Nagisa explained. "All of the dueling clubs are full, and I'm not very good at a lot of the stuff the other clubs do, like painting or cooking."

"I see." Shizuma said with an understanding smile. "Well, I'm afraid there's no club here, but if want, you can help me with the flowers just for today."

"Oh, okay!" Nagisa exclaimed as a smile appeared on her face. Shizuma was very glad that she could make the redhead happy.

The two girls spent the rest of the afternoon tending to the flowers. As Shizuma worked along side Nagisa, she found that she really enjoyed spending time with the girl. In fact, it was the happiest that Shizuma had felt in a long time.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> So this chapter ended up being mostly exposition. But I did have a bit with Shizuma and Nagisa at the end. I should note that I used the episodes of the Strawberry Panic anime as a guide for writing this story.

Review and let me know what you think.


	7. The Prince's Rival

**Author's Note:** Since the last chapter was mostly exposition, I'd thought I'd go ahead and add this chapter too.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

* * *

><p>Chapter 7: The Prince's Rival<p>

It had been two weeks since Jaden Yuki had arrived on Astraea Island with Maximillion Pegasus. Since that time, the pro-duelist had become the subject of much gossip among the students of all three schools on the island, especially among the students of Miator and Spica. Not only had Jaden become famous for defeating the current Etoile, Shizuma Hanazono, during his first night on the island, but he had also defeated Spica's champion, Amane Ohtori. The defeat of Spica's prince had caused a few Spica students to challenge the infamous pro-duelist themselves, in order to prove that they were superior to the prince. All of these students had failed however, as they too were defeated by the powerful Jaden Yuki.

The defeat of Prince Amane had even sent waves through the student council of Spica. For quite sometime, two members of the student council disagreed with President Shion that Amane was the school's best chance of winning the Etoile tournament. Especially since Amane herself had no interest in obtaining the position. For awhile, the argument among the council about Amane's worthiness to be Etoile was dropped, but the woman prince's defeat to Jaden Yuki had reignited it.

"I cannot believe that you're bringing this up again!" an irritated Shion exclaimed. "We have been over this again and again! Prince Amane is our academy's best hope for winning the Etoile tournament!"

"Are you so sure about that?" asked a masculine looking dark haired girl. "After all, she was defeated by a pro-duelist who's a virtual unknown. How could your precious 'prince' be a proper Etoile if she could be brought down by some cheap minor league duelist like that?"

"You forget about the pro-duelists that Prince Amane has defeated Kaname!" Shion sternly reminded the dark haired girl. "She's beaten duelists like Aster Phoenix and Zane Truesdale! She even came close to defeating the legendary Seto Kaiba after her second year! Besides, you shouldn't underestimate the Jaden Yuki. It's no surprise to me that he was able to defeat the current Etoile."

"The current Etoile has lost her touch." Kaname shot back with an arrogant smile. "It's no surprise that she could be defeated by some second-rate nobody."

"I've seen Jaden Yuki in action myself!" Shion exclaimed. She shuddered a little when she remembered the final moments of Jaden's duel with Amane. "He may not be well known, but he is very powerful."

"Even if that's true, the fact remains that the prince still lost." A girl with shoulder length brown hair cut in. "Amane's image has been tarnished. It's not good for an Etoile to look weak."

"It is not image that wins the Etoile Tournament Momomi!" Shion shouted as she banged her fist against the table, startling her two fellow student council members. "It is skill, plane and simple, and Prince Amane has the skill to win!"

"Perhaps it is." Momomi admitted. "Still, even if Amane does have the skill to win the tournament, she still has no interest in entering. It might be best to rely on Kaname and myself to win."

"I will get Prince Amane to enter!" Shion proclaimed. "The two may enter if you want, but don't be surprised if you find yourselves facing the prince and losing!"

With those words, Shion stormed out of the room, leaving Kaname and Momomi alone. Once again, the two girls had failed to get the support of their president. Later that night in their room, Kaname and Momomi began to discuss what their next move was to be.

"I still can't believe that even after Amane's defeat to that no-name duelist, Shion is still supporting her!" Kaname complained.

"You know how stubborn our president can be." Momomi reminded, as she emerged from the bathroom in her usual yellow nightgown.

"Maybe if defeated this 'Jaden Yuki' Shion would finally see that I'm the better choice for Etoile." Kaname theorized. "I know I can do it!"

"Of that I have no doubt my sweet." Momomi agreed with a sinister smile. "Still, there might be a better way."

"What do you have in mind?" the dark haired tomboy asked with a curious smile and raised eyebrow.

"Well, it would be one thing to show your strength by defeating that duelist," Momomi began as she took a seat next to Kaname on her bed, "but it would be even better to make sure that Amane doesn't enter the tournament at all."

"There's no chance of that." Kaname said with a confident smirk. "Everyone knows that Amane has no interest in entering."

"There's something that might change that." Momomi said, causing Kaname to give the brown haired girl her full attention. "It's been rumored that Amane has become interested in someone. Someone who might make Amane want to enter the tournament."

"Who is this person?" Kaname asked eagerly, her curiosity piqued.

"It's some blond girl in the Spica school choir." Momomi answered as she inched closer to Kaname on the bed. "I believe her name is Hikari."

"Hikari, eh?" Kamane asked with a raised eyebrow.

"If Amane and this girl Hikari become close enough, Amane might actually become interested in entering the tournament." Momomi explained as she put her arms around Kaname. "And that might hurt our chances."

"Just what are you suggesting we do?" Kaname asked.

"I'm suggesting that we keep Amane and this Hikari girl apart." Momomi explained. "The only thing I can't figure out is how."

"I have an idea." Kaname answered. "I'll just steal this Hikari girl away before this relationship can get any further. After all, what girl can resist my charms?"

"I know I certainly can't." Momomi whispered into Kaname's ear. With that, Momomi planted a firm kiss on Kaname's lips. Once again, Kaname was completely overwhelmed as her roommate passionately pushed her down on to the bed.

* * *

><p>The next day had begun like every other day on the island for Jaden. Like the previous mornings, Jaden got up and continued his search or the Wicked God cards. His search was not going well though. All that Pegasus knew, aside from the terrible origin of the Wicked Gods, was that each card was hidden on the grounds of a different school. That meant that one of the remaining two cards was somewhere on Miator grounds, and the other was somewhere on the grounds of Spica. That didn't help Jaden much though, as the island was huge. The grounds of all three schools were vast. Without a specific place to start looking, the search could take months, and Jaden couldn't risk taking that long. Not with a mysterious enemy also looking for the Wicked Gods.<p>

As for said enemy, Jaden had no idea where to even start looking. Pegasus's aid Croquet had theorized that the enemy was on the island, but as Jaden already knew, the island was vast. So their enemy could be anywhere. Jaden decided that the best thing to do was to look for the two Wicked Gods that were still up for grabs and go after the enemy later. Though Jaden's plan had not been working. He started by looking for the cards in the schools themselves. Miator did not seem to be hiding any cards, nor did Spica. Jaden's search had been hindered somewhat by Spica students who wanted to challenge him. Apparently, these students wanted to prove their power by defeating the pro-duelist who had beaten their champion, Amane. Jaden didn't mind the duels, though, since they provided a much welcome diversion from his search. Though during the second week on the island, the duels began to increase a little in frequency. It reminded Jaden of his final year at his old academy, when everyone on the island wanted to duel him to improve their grades.

The previous day, Jaden decided to go look in the Miator library for clues about where at least one of the Wicked God cards was, and to avoid the duelists. Again, Jaden found nothing. In fact, he had almost walked in on a pair of students that were making out in the back of the library. It was a good thing that they had not noticed him, or else things would have been a bit awkward. Jaden decided that he would no longer try searching Miator's library.

Despite his inability to find the remaining Wicked Gods, Jaden was at least glad that Lilum's student council president, Chikaru, had slowly recovered from being corrupted by The Wicked Eraser. She had been released from the Lilum infirmary the previous week, and Jaden had visited her often to make sure she was doing well. The only downside was that Chikaru had slowly remembered some of the terrible things she did while under the influence of the Wicked God. Fortunately, Jaden was able to help her through some of it, as he too had once crossed over to the dark side when he became the Supreme King and lead a campaign of destruction to complete the Super Polymerization card. It was on that particular day that Jaden decided to pay Chikaru another visit. It was late in the afternoon, and Jaden found Chikaru out in the field behind Lilum, once again having tea.

"Oh, Jaden. What a pleasant surprise." Chikaru said as she looked up and saw Jaden standing near the blanket she was sitting on.

"Mind if I join you?" Jaden asked. Chikaru nodded, and Jaden sat down across from her on the blanket. "So how're you doing?"

"I'm doing better." Chikaru replied with her usual warm smile. "The doctor thinks that I'll be able to resume my regular duties next week. So how's the search for those cards coming?"

"Not good." Jaden replied. "I haven't been able to find a single clue as to where they might be. Plus I've got all these Spica duelists who keep wanting to challenge me."

"Oh yes, I've been hearing about that." Chikaru chuckled. "Those duelists want to defeat the one who beat Prince Amane, Spica's champion. Not to mention the current favorite to win the Etoile Tournament."

"Etoile Tournament?" a confused Jaden asked.

"Oh, I suppose you don't know." Chikaru replied. "The title of Etoile isn't simply given away. It has to be won in a special tournament that's held between the three schools every few years."

"I see." Jaden nodded. "So is Shizuma going to be entering to protect her title?"

"I'm afraid she can't." Chikaru answered. "This is the year that Ms. Shizuma graduates. That's why the tournament is being held this year. Prince Amane is the one that everyone thinks will win."

"I wouldn't be surprised if she did." Jaden agreed, thinking about his duel with Spica's woman prince. She was indeed a strong opponent.

"Neither would I." Chikaru replied. "It's a shame that she doesn't plan to enter. At least that's the rumor."

"Why won't she enter?" a surprised Jaden asked. Chikaru shrugged.

"No one knows." Chikaru answered. "All I know is, Spica's student council president won't rest until she gets the prince to enter."

* * *

><p>Back at the Spica section of the Strawberry Dorms, Hikari was returning from choir practice alone. Her friend and roommate, Yaya, had stayed behind to help put stuff away. As Hikari reached her room, she noticed that there was an envelope taped to the door. Hikari saw that her name was written on the envelope, so she figured that it had to be for her. The blond took the envelope off the door, opened it, and read its contents.<p>

_'My dearest Hikari, I have admired you from afar for too long now. I can no longer stand just watching you from the shadows. I wish to meet you in person. Meet me in the woods behind the stables at 4:00. I'll be waiting. Signed, your secret admirer.'_ Hikari put the letter back in its envelope.

The biggest question on Hikari's mind was who could've written her such a letter? After all, she was no great beauty, or at least she didn't see herself as one. Hikari's first thought was that the letter was from Amane. The two of them had seen each other a few times since the day Amane had dueled Jaden, though it wasn't as if they were dating. They were only friendly encounters, and rather brief ones. Plus Hikari didn't really think that a letter like the one she found would be Amane's style. Still, the letter did say to meet this admirer in the woods behind the stables, a place that Amane was most likely to be. Hikari checked her watch. It said it was 3:27. Against her better judgment, Hikari decided to go meet this admirer.

Hikari arrived at the spot her admirer had said to be at 4:06. She looked around and saw no one. Hikari thought that perhaps the person who had been waiting for her left. After all, she was a few minutes late.

"So you finally showed up." A voice from behind said, startling Hikari.

Hikari turned around and saw two girls in Spica uniforms. One of them had short dark hair, and the other had shoulder length brown hair. Hikari recognized them right away.

"You're… Kaname and Momomi from the student council!" Hikari exclaimed in surprise.

"That's right." Replied the dark haired girl, who had a very sinister smile on her face.

"A-are you the one who wrote the letter?" Hikari asked with a touch of fear in her voice.

"Actually, Momomi and I both wrote it, but yes." Kaname replied.

"W-why?" Hikari asked, becoming a little more frightened. Kaname chuckled a little.

"Well, I wouldn't call myself an admirer, little Hikari, but I have become interested in you." Kaname said as she approached Hikari. "Rumors say that Prince Amane has become rather fond of you."

At this point, Kaname had Hikari backed up against a tree. The blond girl tried to find some way to escape but there was none.

"The rumors also say that you're also quite interested in Amane." Kaname continued as she placed her right hand on the tree that she had Hikari pinned against. "But I think you'll find me to be far more enticing."

Hikari had become more terrified. At that moment she wished that Amane or Yaya were there to save her.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Jaden was at the Spica stables, hoping to find one of the Wicked God cards. He admitted that it was very unlikely that such a powerful card would be hidden in or near some horse stables, but he didn't know where else to look at the moment. Suddenly, Jaden heard a scream out back. Thinking that someone was in trouble, he decided to go take a look. Running into the small forest behind the stables, Jaden quickly found a struggling Hikari, pinned to the ground by a taller girl with short dark hair. Had it not been for the dark haired girl's Spica uniform, Jaden would have mistook her for a boy. Watching the spectacle was another girl with brown hair, also wearing a Spica uniform.<p>

"What's going on?" Jaden demanded as he entered the clearing.

"Mind your own business!" the dark haired girl shot back.

Jaden's mind raced, trying to figure out what to do. He could see that Hikari was in trouble. Jaden decided that he had no choice but to his powers to summon Neos and scare Hikari's attacker and the brown haired girl off. Jaden would try and explain it to Hikari later. Just as Jaden was about to bring forth Neos, a white horse charged into the clearing and startled Kaname off of Hikari. Jaden immediately recognized the rider. It was none other than Spica's champion, Amane. As soon as Amane dismounted her steed, Hikari took the opportunity to get up and hide behind the woman prince.

"What's going on here?" Amane asked.

"Nothing that really concerns you." Kaname said as she got off the ground. "I was just in the process of seducing little Hikari there."

"I'm no expert, but that didn't look like seduction to me." Jaden cut in, which earned him a glare from Kaname.

Amane looked at Hikari, and saw that the blond girl had a frightened look on her face. Amane did not like seeing Hikari like that at all.

"Amane, why don't you get Hikari out of here? I'll deal with these two." Jaden said to the woman prince. Amane looked back at Jaden and nodded.

As soon as Amane helped Hikari onto her horse, the two girls rode off, leaving Jaden with Kaname and Momomi.

"Well, you certainly ruined that plan." Kaname said to Jaden. "Although now that you've shown up, you've given me the opportunity to execute Plan B."

"Who are you?" Jaden asked as he glared at the two girls before him.

"I'm Kaname Kenjo." The dark haired girl said, introducing herself. "The lovely girl behind me is sort of my partner, Momomi Kiyashiki."

"Why were you attacking Hikari?" Jaden asked.

"That's really none of your business." Kaname replied with an evil smile. "I'll tell you this however. I've been wanting to challenge you for awhile, Jaden Yuki."

"Why's that?" Jaden asked, narrowing his eyes at Kaname.

"I want to beat you in order to prove to everyone that I'm better than Amane." Kaname replied.

"Bring it on!" Jaden said as he activated his duel disk.

Once both Jaden's and Kaname's life points were set to 4000, the duel began.

"I'll start things off." Kaname announced as she drew her first card. "I set one monster on the field and end my turn!"

Jaden looked at his opening hand. It contained Elemental Hero Avian, Elemental Hero Bustinatrix, Elemental Hero Bladedge, Elemental Hero Wildheart, and Elemental Hero Neos. Not only did Jaden's hand contain his ace monster, but also three possible fusions. Jaden drew his first card, hoping for Polymerization. What he got was Elemental Hero Bubbleman. Jaden was glad that at least his hand contained four possible fusions. The only thing he could do was use the hand he got.

"I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart in Attack Mode!" Jaden announced.

Jaden's forest warrior appeared on the field.

"Wildheart, attack Kaname's facedown monster!" Jaden commanded. "Wild Slash!"

The monster that Wildheart attacked was revealed to be nothing more than an old clay pot, but when the pot was smashed by Wildheart's sword, a black spirit with one giant red eye flew into the air and vanished. Kaname began to chuckle.

"Now that you've flipped up my Morphing Jar, we both have to discard our hands and draw five new cards." Kaname explained.

Reluctantly, Jaden sent his hand to the Graveyard and drew a new hand.

"That's not all though." Kaname added. "Because they've been discarded from my hand to the Graveyard, I can now Special Summon Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World, Sillva, Warlord of Dark World, and Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World."

In a flash, three muscular grey demons with skull-like faces appeared on Kaname's side of the field. The first one, Beiige, had a metal band over his eyes and carried a spear. The second fiend, Sillva, was dark-grey, with a large pair of bat-like wings that hung down like a cape. A pair of silver blades protruded from the sides of Sillva's claws. The third demon, Goldd, was black and gold, with a pair of bat-like wings. In his claws, Goldd carried a large axe. The ATK points of the three demons were just as bad as their looks. Beiige's ATK was 1600, not extremely powerful, but strong enough to destroy Wildheart. The ATK of both Sillva and Goldd, on the other hand, was 2300. Jaden knew that if both of those monsters attacked him directly, he would lose.

Jaden was actually all too familiar with the Dark World monsters. He had dueled a few of them a few years ago in another dimension when he was looking for his lost friend, Jessie Anderson. Jaden found that facing the Dark World monsters again was bringing back some very unpleasant memories. Jaden turned his attention back to the duel itself. His new hand didn't contain any possible fusions, but it did have a way to get rid of Kaname's monsters.

"I'll lay down two facedowns and end my turn!" Jaden announced.

"Not so powerful now, are you?" Kaname asked with an evil sneer as she drew her next card. "I summon Brron, Mad King of Dark World!"

A slender grey demon with long, gangly arms and a green cape appeared on the field, cackling madly. Its arms were tied together loosely with a chain. A maniacal grin was on the demon's face as it tilted its head back and forth. Jaden recognized Brron very well. The mad king had sacrificed many of Jaden's friends in order to create the Super Polymerization card, and Jaden was more or less forced to watch. Jaden found himself feeling a mixture of fear and anger at that moment.

"Brron, attack Wildheart!" Kaname commanded. "Dark World Shocker!"

The mad king flailed his bound arms and shot a bolt of purple lightning at Wildheart, electrocuting the wilderness hero. The strike had reduced Jaden's life points from 4000 to 3700.

"When Brron inflicts battle damage to my opponent, I can discard one card from my hand to the Graveyard." Kaname explained. "I discard Broww, Huntsman of Dark World, which activates his effect to let me draw a new card."

"I activate my Trap, Hero Signal!" Jaden announced as Kaname drew another card. "When a monster I control is destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon an Elemental Hero from my deck! I Special Summon Elemental Hero Sparkman!"

A warrior wearing gold armor and a blue bodysuit with a yellow stripe running down the arms and legs appeared on Jaden's field.

"That's all you can bring out? That monster only has 1600 ATK!" Kaname taunted. "Oh well. Goldd, attack Sparkman! Dark World Axe!"

Goldd raised his axe to attack Sparkman.

"I activate my other Trap, Justi-Break!" Jaden announced. "When a Normal monster I control is selected as an attack target, Justi-Break destroys all monsters on the field except Normal monsters!"

In an instant, all of Kaname's monsters were being electrocuted by an invisible energy, which eventually caused them to explode. Jaden found himself enjoying the destruction of the Dark World monsters.

"Fine, I set one card facedown and end my turn!" Kaname announced with a note of irritation in her voice.

Jaden looked at his hand as he drew his next card. He was glad that he was able to perform a Fusion Summon.

"I activate Polymerization!" Jaden announced.

"I was hoping you'd do that. I activate my Trap, Dark Deal!" Kaname responded. "By paying 1000 of my life points, I can change the effect of the Spell card you just played to one that discards a random card from my hand. Pick one!"

The situation had taken a turn for the worse. Not only was Jaden's Fusion Summon cancelled, but he also had to pick a random card in Kaname's hand to discard. Jaden knew that if the card he picked were a Dark World monster, the card's effect would activate. Still, Jaden had no choice.

"I choose the furthest card on your right!" Jaden announced.

"Boy did you choose badly." Kaname said with an evil grin. "The card you discarded was Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World, and because it was discarded by your card effect, I can Special Summon it!"

Appearing on Kaname's side of the field was a large demon with great curved horns, massive wings, and a long tail. The demon carried a staff in its right hand.

"When Reign-Beaux is Special Summoned by being discarded, I can either destroy all of my opponent's monsters, or all of my opponent's Spell and Traps." Kaname explained. "Since you have no Spell and Trap cards, I choose to destroy all of your monsters."

Reign-Beaux unleashed a wave of dark energy that destroyed Sparkman. Jaden was wide open for a direct attack, and to make things worse, Reign-Beaux had 2500 ATK. There was only one thing that Jaden could do.

"I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in Defense Mode and end my turn!" Jaden announced.

Jaden's stone armored hero appeared on the field in a crouched position.

"That's your only defense, eh? How pathetic." Kaname taunted as she drew her next card. "First I activate Card Destruction! Now we both have to discard our entire hands and draw the same number of cards."

Jaden discarded the only two cards in his hand and drew two new cards. He thought that the two cards he drew were an improvement over his previous hand, but at the same time he dreaded what Kaname was discarding.

"Now I activate the effect of Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World!" Kaname announced. "When Kahkki is discarded from my hand to the Graveyard, I can destroy one monster on my opponent's side of the field. I choose to destroy Elemental Hero Clayman!"

A grey barrel shaped demon with scrawny arms and legs and carrying a demon appeared and hurled itself into Clayman, destroying the stone armored warrior. Jaden was once again wide open.

"Reign-Beaux, attack this minor league duelist directly!" Kaname commanded. "Wave of Destruction!"

Reign-Beaux raised his staff and sent forth another wave of dark energy that hit Jaden, dropping his life points from 3700 to 1200. The attack also caused Jaden to briefly flashback to his duel with Brron back in that other dimension.

"Just as I thought." Kaname chuckled. "You're nothing more than a second rate duelist. Either Amane is really staring to slip, or she isn't as good as everyone said she is. Whatever the case, this proves that I'm better than Amane. And after word of my victory gets out, I'll make another move on little Hikari and steal her away."

Jaden was suddenly filled with rage. He wasn't sure if it was because Kaname threatened to attack Hikari, or if it was because the Dark World monsters that Kaname was using were bringing back unpleasant memories. Either way, Jaden just wanted to wipe the arrogant smile off of Kaname's face. Jaden announced his turn as he drew his next card. Not only was the card he drew just what he needed to finish the duel, but it also seemed quite appropriate.

"First I activate O-Oversoul!" Jaden announced. "This lets me Special Summon from the Graveyard Elemental Hero Neos, which I discarded due to Morphing Jar's effect!"

Jaden's ace monster appeared on the field.

"Now I activate Super Polymerization!" Jaden announced. "By discarding one card from my hand, I can fuse my Neos with your Reign-Beaux to summon Elemental Hero Escuridao!"

A giant vortex appeared in the sky and pulled in Neos and Reign-Beaux. In a flash of light, the vortex disappeared, and from the sky dropped down a new warrior. The warrior was slender and covered in pitch-black armor. Two long forked and jagged blades jutted out from the warrior's back. In place of his right hand, the warrior had a weapon with three jagged blades. An unearthly blue aura emanated from the dark warrior.

"Escuridao has 2500 ATK," Jaden explained, "but he gains 100 extra ATK points for every Elemental Hero monster in my Graveyard. And right now, I have eight."

Kaname and Momomi both had shocked expressions on their faces. Not only had Jaden used Kaname's own monster for a Fusion Summon, but also he had summoned a monster with 3300 ATK.

"Escuridao, attack Kaname directly!" Jaden commanded. "Dark Diffusion!"

Escuridao shot forth a ray of blue energy from the weapon on his right arm. The attack not only reduced Kaname's life points to zero, but also knocked her to the ground as well. Momomi rushed over to see if her lover was injured, only to find that Kaname was just stunned.

"You'll pay for that you…" Momomi began, but she couldn't finish her sentence when she saw Jaden's eyes.

Jaden was glaring at Kaname and Momomi, and his eyes were glowing in the orange and teal colored eyes of Yubel.

"Stay away from Hikari, both of you!" Jaden said in a low and threatening tone. With those words, Jaden turned on his heel and left.

A few moments later, when he was further away from the clearing, Jaden's eyes turned back to their regular brown. His expression had softened from his previous glare.

"You really lost your temper back there." Yubel said as she suddenly appeared, causing Jaden to stop walking.

"Those two girls were just mean." Jaden replied. "Plus Kaname's deck brought back some unhappy memories."

"I was the one who caused you to experience those things." Yubel said with a slightly sad expression.

"Don't worry about it Yubel." Jaden answered. "You were a different person back than. So was I."

"Still, that doesn't really change the fact that I caused you that pain." Yubel responded.

"Maybe not, but I've forgiven you for that stuff." Jaden said. His words caused a small smile to appear on the Duel Monster's face.

"I'll leave you alone now." Yubel said, and with those words, she vanished, leaving Jaden alone with his thoughts.

Jaden continued to walk for a while until he reached the lake that he saw on his first day on the island. It was as breathtaking a site as it was before, so Jaden decided to sit against a tree facing the lake and relaxed. Slowly, Jaden found himself drifting off to sleep. As he slept, Jaden had a nightmare about his duel with Brron, the Mad King of Dark World, and about the atrocities he committed as the Supreme King. Jaden awoke in a cold sweat. He looked and saw that the sun was beginning to set.

"Jaden, are your alright?" a voice suddenly asked.

Jaden turned to see that the voice was from Chikaru. Kizuna, Remon, and Kagome were with her.

"Oh, hey Chikaru. What are you and your friends doing here?" Jaden asked.

"We were out doing some flower picking and lost track of time." Chikaru explained. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Jaden replied. "I just had a bad dream."

"What about?" Chikaru asked.

"Just some stuff from my past." Jaden replied.

"Was it about the things you did as that Supreme King person?" Chikaru asked in a slightly concerned tone.

"Yeah." Jaden replied. "But don't worry. It's not the first time I've had one of those nightmares."

Chikaru looked at Jaden for a moment, than spoke up again.

"You know, there's still a little daylight left. Why don't you join the girls and I for some flower picking?" Chikaru offered.

Jaden thought about it for a moment. Flower picking wasn't his thing, but it was the first time in awhile that he had one of those nightmares. He decided that he could use some company from some friends.

"Sure, why not?" Jaden finally replied, and he joined his friends for a fun and relaxing evening.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> When it came time for me to decide what kind of deck Kaname should use, I wanted her to use something sort of evil. So I ended up going with Dark World monsters. One of the reasons was because I thought it's make Jaden hate Kaname even more, and also give me the opportunity to do some stuff with Jaden's character.

Please review and tell me what you think.


	8. The God Hunter Club

**Author's Note:** I think I've mentioned before that this story is pretty much already finished. But I'm doing a little editing to each chapter before adding them. I did this one tonight as sort of a warmup for working on a chapter for different story. I ended up adding a few details to this chapter in the process.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

* * *

><p>Chapter 8: The God Hunter Club<p>

The months had passed on Astraea Island, and Jaden was becoming a bit frustrated. He was having no luck finding the remaining Wicked God cards, or the person who was after them. Jaden had searched much of the grounds of all three schools and found nothing. Though he had yet to search the entire island. Still, Jaden was more or less having an enjoyable time on the island. He had made several friends. Aside from Chikaru and the other three girls from Lilum, Jaden had become friends with Nagisa, Tamao, Hikari, and Yaya.

Aside from looking for the Wicked Gods, Jaden was also keeping an eye on Kaname and Momomi to make sure they didn't try making another move on Hikari. He wasn't alone in this duty. Not long after the incident when Hikari was attacked, Jaden made sure that Yaya, who was Hikari's roommate, knew about the incident. Yaya was very concerned. Especially since Hikari didn't tell her about it, for whatever reason. Regardless, Yaya gladly agreed to help Jaden protect Hikari.

The days and weeks following the incident with Kaname and Momomi were peaceful however. Summer was approaching, and things at the three schools seemed to be calming down a bit. One afternoon, as Jaden was walking around behind Miator, he came across Nagisa, who was sitting on the ground with a worn expression on her face.

"Hey Nagisa." Jaden greeted as he approached the redhead.

"Oh hi Jaden." Nagisa greeted back in a tone that was less than enthusiastic.

"Mind if I join you?" Jaden asked. Nagisa nodded, and Jaden took a seat on the ground next to Nagisa. "So what's bothering you?"

"I'm having trouble learning French." Nagisa sighed.

"Why are you learning French?" Jaden asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's a requirement at Miator." Nagisa replied.

"They make you learn French here?" a shocked Jaden asked.

"Yes, and I'm having a little trouble with it." Nagisa answered. "Since I'm a transfer student, I'm behind everyone else in my year."

Jaden was a bit shocked by what Nagisa had told him. French was certainly not a requirement at his old academy, and if it were, he certainly wouldn't have liked learning it.

"The worst part is, there's an exam coming up." Nagisa continued. "If I don't pass it, I can't go on the big trip that's coming up in a couple of weeks."

"Trip?" Jaden asked, again a little confused.

"Yeah, Tamao told me that there's this big trip that most of the students take off the island just before summer break." Nagisa explained. "But if I don't pass all my exams, I can't go."

"How are you doing in your other classes?" Jaden asked.

"I'm doing real good, especially in my dueling classes." Nagisa replied. "It's my French class that's the only problem."

"Why don't you ask Tamao for help?" Jaden asked.

"I can't keep asking Tamao for help. She's too busy with her own studies." Nagisa explained. "I don't know how I'm ever going to pass."

"Perhaps I can provide a solution." A voice suddenly said.

Jaden and Nagisa turned to see who was speaking to them, and were surprised to see that it was Miyuki. The student council president of Miator looked at them with her usual stern expression. What was even more surprising was that Shizuma was with her.

"I've heard about your predicament Ms. Aoi, and I've come to help." Miyuki explained.

"Uh, thanks, but why?" Nagisa asked.

"Because in the history of Miator, no student has ever failed French." Miyuki explained. "As student council president, I will not allow any student to become the first!"

_'Wow, Miyuki really needs to lighten up.'_ Jaden thought to himself.

"That is why I've arranged for Shizuma to tutor you." Miyuki continued. "She is one of the academy's top French students."

"Shizuma's going to be tutoring me?" a surprised and blushing Nagisa asked.

"We should get started right away." Miyuki replied. Nagisa nodded after getting over her initial shock, and with that, Miyuki and Shizuma left, with Nagisa following behind.

"I guess that worked out well." Jaden said to himself.

"There you are Jaden!" a voice called out.

Jaden got up and turned to see that it was Chikaru. As usual, Kizuna, Remon, and Kagome were with her.

"Oh, hey girls. What's up?" Jaden asked in greeting.

"Well, we've started a new club." Chikaru replied. "I call it… the God Hunter Club!"

"God Hunter Club?" Jaden asked, once again confused.

"It's a club the four of us started to help you search for the Wicked God cards." Chikaru explained.

"I don't think you four should get involved any further." Jaden said with a serious expression. "It might be dangerous."

"Please Jaden, I want to help." Chikaru begged. "I don't want what happened to me to happen to anyone else."

"Oh let them help. It's not like we've been getting anywhere on our own." Yubel said as she suddenly appeared next to Jaden. "Besides, we're more than capable of protecting them if anything bad happens."

Jaden thought for a moment as he looked from Yubel to Chikaru and her little gang. Kizuna and Remon were giving Jaden puppy dog stares.

"Oh, okay you can help." Jaden finally said.

Chikaru, Kizuna, and Remon all gave a little cheer.

"Okay, it's settled!" Chikaru exclaimed enthusiastically. "I here by officially declare the formation of the Lilum Academy God Hunter Club!"

A bit later, in an empty Lilum classroom, Jaden and the God Hunter Club had their first meeting.

"Okay, let's review some of what we already know." Chikaru began. "We know that The Wicked Eraser was taken by a mysterious party, and that the other two Wicked Gods have yet to be found. One of them is somewhere in the vicinity of Spica, and the other is in the vicinity of Miator."

Remon nodded as she took notes.

"What do we know about the person who took The Wicked Eraser?" Kizuna asked.

"Well, we know that it was a girl." Jaden answered.

"Hmm… How old do you think the girl was?" Chikaru asked.

"I couldn't really tell because of the mask," Jaden replied, "but my guess is that she isn't that much older than I am."

"I see… That could mean that the person we're after is a student here on the island." Chikaru suggested.

"Oh, what if she's the Etoile?" Kizuna enthusiastically asked. Everyone gave Kizuna a quizzical look.

"Uh, Kizuna, I don't know Shizuma that well, but I don't think she's the one we're after." Jaden said to the orange haired girl. "Besides, I don't think that Shizuma could fit all that hair under a mask."

"The girl who took the card was obviously athletic. Maybe she goes to Spica." Remon suggested.

"That's not a bad theory." Chikaru responded.

Remon's theory had started Jaden thinking about two possible suspects.

"I think I may know who might have taken the card." Jaden announced, getting the attention of the whole room.

"Who?" Kizuna asked, eagerly awaiting an answer.

"Kaname Kenjo or Momomi Kiyashiki." Jaden answered.

"The two other members of the Spica student council?" Chikaru asked with a tone of surprise. "Why them?"

"I had a bad run in with those two a few months ago." Jaden replied. "And what Remon just said made me think that maybe those two might be who we're looking for."

"Well, I think it's worth checking out." Chikaru responded.

A bit later, Jaden and the four girls from Lilum went to confront the two sinister members of the Spica student council. They stood outside of Spica's student council meeting room, waiting.

"Now remember, we don't know for sure that either of these two is the culprit, so don't mention anything about the Wicked Gods." Jaden reminded his four companions.

"Don't worry Jaden, I know exactly how to handle this." Chikaru replied.

"I'm not sure about this." Yubel said as she suddenly appeared next to Jaden. "Just because these two attacked Hikari, doesn't mean that one of them took the God card."

"They're the best suspects we have." Jaden said back quietly to the Duel Monster.

"Why, because they're scum and we don't like them?" Yubel asked in response. "We didn't get the same dark feeling that we got from Chikaru from either of those two. Besides, if that witch Kaname had The Wicked Eraser, she would have just tried using it against you or Amane instead of just going after Hikari."

As Jaden contemplated what Yubel told him, Kaname and Momomi finally emerged from the student council room.

"Well, well. If it isn't President Chikaru and her little fan club." Kaname observed with an evil sneer. "And what are you doing here Jaden Yuki?"

"We wanted to ask you a couple of questions." Jaden replied with a glare.

"We don't have to answer any from YOU!" Momomi shot back.

"All we want to know is where the both of you were on the afternoon of the third day of the school year." Chikaru cut in.

"What business is it of yours?" Kaname asked.

"Please, it's important." Chikaru responded.

"Where we were is none of your concern!" Momomi exclaimed.

"They were with me." A voice suddenly cut in. Everyone turned to see Shion emerge from the student council room.

"Kaname and Momomi were helping me with some important work for the student council that afternoon." Shion explained before turning to her two underlings. "Kaname, Momomi, you two need to show more respect not only to Lilum's student council president, but to Mr. Yuki as well! He his a personal guest of the head mistress after all!"

"Yes President Shion." Kaname and Momomi both replied somewhat unwillingly.

"Fine, now apologize to them and leave!" Shion commanded.

Kaname and Momomi both gave a brief apology to Jaden and Chikaru and left.

"I'm so sorry for the behavior of those two." Shion said turning to Chikaru. "Now if you don't mind me asking, why did you want to know where those two were that afternoon?"

"Well, there was an incident at Lilum that afternoon, and one of us thought that those two might have been involved." Chaikaru answered.

Jaden noticed that Chikaru did not seem to make eye contact with Shion as she spoke to her. He wondered for a moment if it was because Chikaru felt bad for pitting Shion and Miyuki against each other when she was under the influence of The Wicked Eraser.

"I see. Well those two have been known to cause trouble." Shion responded with a smile before turning back to Jaden. "So Mr. Yuki, I trust you're enjoying your time here on the island?"

"Uh, yeah. It's been interesting." Jaden replied.

"Good." Shion responded. "I was wondering if you'd consider having a rematch with Prince Amane sometime in the near future."

"If she wants one, I'll be happy to duel her again." Jaden answered.

"Excellent!" Shion said enthusiastically. "Well, I have business to attend to. I hope to see you all again later."

With those words, Shion turned and left. A little while later, Jaden and the God Hunter Club returned to their meeting room.

"Well, that was a dead end. Sorry girls." Jaden said to the group.

"At least we've eliminated two suspects." Chikaru said encouragingly.

"Three if you include President Shion." Remon added, which earned her a slightly startled look from Chikaru. "Uh, not that President Shion would actually do something like that of course."

"So what do we do now?" Kizuna asked.

"I think we should focus on looking for the two Wicked Gods that haven't been found yet." Jaden answered. "If we don't find them, some innocent students might find and become corrupted by them."

The rest of the group nodded in agreement with Jaden.

"Hmm… I think we can divide our efforts." Chikaru told the group. "Jaden, why don't you have Kizuna, Remon and Kagome help you look for the other two Wicked Gods? In the meantime, I'll try and check out which Spica student might be the one who took The Wicked Eraser."

"Sounds like a plan." Jaden replied.

"Good. I hereby declare the first meeting of the God Hunter Club adjourned!" Chikaru announced.

* * *

><p>The next afternoon, while Jaden and the God Hunter Club were continuing their search, Nagisa was in the Miator dinning hall with Shizuma, who was helping her prepare for her upcoming French exam. It was grueling work, since Nagisa needed to catch up on three years worth of French classes. There was an upside however. Nagisa was getting to spend time with Shizuma. Of course, Nagisa knew that she was there to study, and she was trying her hardest to do just that. There were many times though, such as that very moment, where Nagisa couldn't help but pause from her work and just look at her captivating tutor. Nagisa was practically mesmerized by Shizuma's flawless porcelain white skin, her long sparkling silver hair, and her golden eyes, which gave her an heir of mystery. Shizuma was indeed a goddess.<p>

"Uh, Nagisa, are you listening?" Shizuma asked the mesmerized redhead.

"Oh, sorry." Nagisa said as she snapped out of her trance. "Where were we?"

"Why don't we take a little break?" Shizuma suggested with a warm smile.

"That's a great idea." Nagisa agreed. "My brain could use a quick rest."

Shizuma glanced towards the piano that was in the corner by the door.

"Tell me Nagisa, do you play the piano?" Shizuma asked.

"Um, a little." Nagisa answered a bit nervously.

Shizuma took Nagisa's hand and led her over to the piano. The two of them sat next to each other on the bench. Shizuma flipped open the book of music that was already on the piano to a certain page.

"Do you know this piece?" Shizuma asked. Nagisa nodded. "All right, follow my lead."

Shizuma started playing, with Nagisa joining in a moment later. Time seemed to stop for Nagisa as the two of them played. Seconds seemed to turn into hours as each note emanated from the piano. Shizuma's playing was extraordinary. It seemed to Nagisa like there was nothing that Shizuma couldn't do. Nagisa was a little sad when they finally reached the end of the song, but she was very glad to have gotten the chance to play with Shizuma.

"Well, that was fun." Shizuma declared. "Shall we get back to work?"

"Sure." A refreshed Nagisa replied, and with that, the grueling French lessons continued.

* * *

><p>A week later, while Nagisa's studies continued, Jaden and the God Hunter Club had another meeting.<p>

"So, how have things been going on your end?" Chikaru asked the assembled group.

"Not well." Jaden replied. "We haven't been able to find a trace of the two remaining God cards. We even rechecked a few of the places that I've already searched."

"It didn't help that everywhere we went there were Spica students that wanted to challenge Jaden." Remon added. "It was really slowing us down."

"What can I say? Practically every student in Spica has wanted a piece of me ever since I beat Amane." Jaden said with a shrug.

"Well I haven't been having much luck on my end either." Chikaru reported. "I've checked on where every Spica student that fits the description of our thief was during the incident. It looks like whoever did this isn't a Spica student."

"Maybe we should take a break from looking for our thief for awhile." Jaden suggested. "We've obviously hit a dead end. For right now, let's just focus on finding the other two God cards before someone else does. Who knows? We might run into the thief in the process."

"I think that's a good idea." Chikaru agreed.

"But we don't even know where to start looking for them." Kizuna cut in.

Jaden thought for a moment about what Kizuna had said. She was right, they had no idea where to start looking for the other two God cards, or did they?

"There might be a way for us to figure out where to start looking." Jaden announced, getting the full attention of the group. "I think we should check out the place where The Wicked Eraser was hidden."

"What good would that do?' Remon asked.

"We might find a clue to where the other two cards are hidden." Jaden explained. "I know it's a long shot, but it might be worth a try."

Silence hung over the room as Jaden, Kizuna, Remon, and Kagome waited for Chikaru's response to Jaden's idea. Jaden suddenly realized that going to the original hiding place of The Wicked Eraser would mean that Chikaru would be revisiting the place where she fell into darkness.

"…Okay," Chikaru finally agreed, "we'll go there tomorrow afternoon!"

The next afternoon, Chikaru led the way through the forest to where she first found The Wicked Eraser. Jaden followed from right next to her.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Jaden asked Chikaru.

"If going there will help us find clues to where the other two Wicked God cards are, I'm willing to go back." A determined Chikaru answered.

Eventually, the group reached the small cave where Chikaru found the God card. From the outside of the cave, Jaden could sense a noxious residue of the evil card that was once sealed there.

"If you want, you and the others can stay out here while I go take a look." Jaden told Chikaru.

"No, we'll all go in!" Chikaru declared, still with a determined expression on her face. The other three girls nodded.

"Okay." Jaden responded as he led the way into the cave.

It was a small, not very deep. At the end of the cave on a pedestal of rock was a small wooden chest. Though the light was dim, Jaden could tell that it was painted in the school colors of Lilum. It even had the Lilum school seal engraved on the latch.

"Is that the box where you found the card?" Jaden asked. Chikaru nodded.

Jaden walked up to the chest in order to take a closer look. The noxious energy left by the God card was even stronger up close.

"Hey Chikaru, was this box locked?" Jaden asked.

"No, it wasn't really even latched." Chikaru answered.

Jaden opened the box and inspected the inside of the lid. It looked to him as though the interior of the latch was melted.

"I think the guys Pegasus hired to seal these cards away underestimated their power." Yubel observed as she appeared next to Jaden.

"You think that The Wicked Eraser somehow melted the lock?" Jaden asked Yubel quietly.

"We've seen how powerful the Eraser is." Yubel replied. "I'm not surprised that it could break a crummy human made lock like this. Cards like The Wicked Eraser need to be in a special seal."

"Just like the Sacred Beasts." Jaden observed as he closed the box. "Okay, I think we can get out of here."

Moments later, Jaden and the God Hunter Club left the cave.

"I think we have a better idea of what to look for now." Jaden announced. "The other two cards are probably in boxes like the one in the cave."

"Why did you ask President Chikaru if the box was locked when she found it?" Kizuna asked.

"Because it would've made more sense if it was locked." Jaden explained. "Pegasus was afraid of what those God cards could do, so why wouldn't he make sure that whatever he put them in would be hard to open?"

"So how come the box wasn't locked when I found it?" Chikaru asked.

"I checked the inside of the latch. It looked like something melted it." Jaden explained.

"You're saying that somehow the card destroyed the lock from the inside?" Chikaru asked in a slightly frightened tone. Jaden nodded.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the boxes that the other two cards are in were like that." Jaden theorized. "I think the Wicked Gods want to be found."

* * *

><p>The days passed, and Nagisa was nervously awaiting the results of her French exam. She had spent every spare moment she had studying for it. Nagisa had stayed up into the latest hours of the night, and had even taken her books into the bath with her. She had worked very hard, and Nagisa was about to see if all her hard work had paid off. Nagisa's heart pounded a little as her teacher handed back her paper. Finally, she looked at the score written at the top of her exam. It was an 89, not exactly the best grade, but it was enough to pass. Nagisa was thrilled.<p>

"So did you pass?" Tamao asked from her seat behind Nagisa.

Nagisa answered her friends question by showing her the exam that was just returned to her, along with the huge grin on her face.

"I get to go on the trip!" Nagisa exclaimed quietly. The bell rang, signaling the end of class.

"So Nagisa, do you want to celebrate passing?" Tamao asked. Nagisa paused for a moment, and remembered that there was someone that she needed to thank for her passing.

"Um, there's actually something I have to do first, but maybe later." Nagisa replied, and in the next moment, she quickly left the classroom.

Nagisa ran to the greenhouse, hoping to find Shizuma. Sadly, she wasn't there. Nagisa then thought of another place where she might find the silver haired beauty. As quick as her legs could carry her, Nagisa ran to the lake where she first met Shizuma. Once she reached the lake, Nagisa looked around for Shizuma, but didn't see her anywhere. Nagisa was very disappointed. More than anything at that moment, she wanted to see Shizuma, and thank her for helping her pass her exam.

"You look like you're in a hurry." A voice said from behind. Nagisa turned around to see that it was none other than Shizuma.

"Shizuma!" Nagisa exclaimed happily as she ran over to the silver haired girl. "I passed my exam and it's all thanks to…"

Nagisa couldn't finish her sentence. She suddenly felt her knees become weak and her eyelids become heavy. At that moment, Nagisa passed out from lack of sleep. Fortunately, Shizuma was able to catch Nagisa before she hit the ground. Very gently, Shizuma sat down by a nearby tree and laid the sleeping Nagisa's head on her lap.

"I'm glad you were able to pass." Shizuma whispered to the sleeping redhead as she stroked her hair.

Nagisa awoke a few hours later. She found herself alone by the tree where Shizuma had previously sat down by. The sun was setting, and Nagisa realized that she needed to get back to the dorms, or else she'd be in trouble. For a moment, Nagisa wondered if her finding Shizuma had been a dream, but finally decided that it wasn't. As she walked back to the Strawberry Dorms, Nagisa decided that she needed to find some way to better thank Shizuma for all the help she had given her, but Nagisa would have to worry about it later. At the moment, Nagisa had a trip to look forward to, and she intended to spend every moment of it relaxing and having fun.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> The Strawberry Panic episode that this chapter is based upon was completely about Nagisa being tutored by Shizuma. But since this is mainly a GX story, it became a subplot. Though it is still important to the story. In the meantime I had to come up with a completely new plot for the chapter, so I came up with the idea of Chikaru and her three friends forming a little club to help Jaden.

Review and let me know what you think.


	9. Legend of the Sacred Sword

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

* * *

><p>Chapter 9: Legend of the Sacred Sword<p>

It was a calm day on Astraea Island. Jaden found himself continuing his search for the Wicked Gods more or less alone once again. Most of the students on the island were taking a special two-day trip to a resort off the island, and Chikaru's entire God Hunter club was among that group. At least Jaden had a better idea of what to look for. He learned from his trip to the cave where The Wicked Eraser was once hidden that the other two cards were each in a small chest. The big question though, was where each of those chests was. As Jaden pondered that question just outside of Miator, he ran into a familiar silver haired girl.

"Shizuma, I certainly didn't expect to run into you." Jaden greeted.

"Hello Mr. Yuki." Shizuma greeted back.

"Um, would you mind calling me Jaden?" the wandering pro-duelist requested. "Being called Mr. Yuki sounds weird."

"If you prefer." Shizuma replied. "Not that it's any of my business, but what exactly are you still doing here on this island?"

"I'm doing some work for Mr. Pegasus." Jaden answered. "I'm afraid I can't tell you what that work is though. I'm actually a little surprised to see you here though Shizuma. I would've thought that you'd be on that trip with the other students."

"I have Etoile duties to perform." Shizuma explained.

"Wow, being the Etoile must be a real drag." Jaden observed. Jaden's words made Shizuma pause.

"…You know Jaden, there was a time when I really enjoyed being Etoile." Shizuma said with a sad look in her eyes. "But now I've lost all passion for the position. In fact, I've lost my passion for a lot of things… Well, I should be going now. It was nice seeing you again."

With those words, Shizuma left. Jaden thought about Shizuma's reaction to his comment about being the Etoile. It was something that he didn't quite expect.

"What was that about?" Yubel asked as she appeared next to Jaden. "It looked like the girl was going to cry for a moment there."

"She did seem real sad about something." Jaden agreed. "Whatever it is, I think it explains why she didn't even try to beat me in our duel."

"You think that something's caused her to lose her thrill for dueling?" Yubel asked.

"For awhile I thought that Shizuma just didn't like being Etoile." Jaden answered. "After our little conversation though, I'm thinking that something really bad happened to her. Something that just caused her to no longer enjoy dueling."

"You want to help her get her passion for dueling back, don't you?" Yubel asked knowing very well what her human partner's answer was.

"If I can." Jaden replied.

"I'm not sure if there's too much you can do about it." Yubel theorized. "But there might be a certain redhead who might be able to do something."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, on the bus taking the Miator students to the beach resort where they would be spending the next two days at, Nagisa looked thoughtfully out the window at the passing scenery. She found that for some reason, she could not get Shizuma off of her mind. It wasn't because Nagisa felt that she hadn't properly thanked Shizuma for helping her pass her French exam however. The day before the trip, Nagisa had baked Shizuma some cookies as a thank you gift. Not that Nagisa was very good at baking, and she dropped the basket that the cookies were in just before giving them to Shizuma. Shizuma seemed to like them anyway though.<p>

There was another reason why Nagisa was thinking about Shizuma, but she couldn't figure out what that reason was. One thing was certain however; she wished that Shizuma could've gone on the resort trip with her. Earlier, when Nagisa asked her friend Tamao if she knew why Shizuma wasn't coming with them, she was told her that it was because Shizuma had Etoile duties to perform. Nagisa didn't like the fact that Shizuma had to work while the rest of them were having fun, not one bit. Mostly though, Nagisa just wished that Shizuma with her.

"Nagisa, we're here." Tamao said from her seat next to Nagisa as the bus pulled up to the resort where they would be staying. "Nagisa?"

"Huh?" Nagisa asked as she snapped out of her trance and turned to Tamao. "I'm sorry Tamao, did you say something?"

"I said we're here." Tamao chuckled. "Is something wrong Nagisa?"

"Uh, no, nothing's wrong." Nagisa answered with an innocent smile. "What're we waiting for? Let's go start our vacation!"

With those words, Nagisa got up and left the bus, with Tamao following close behind. Even though she couldn't get Shizuma off her mind, Nagisa was determined to have a good time on their trip.

* * *

><p>Back on the island, Jaden decided to check out the church where the St. Spica choir sang to see if there was a Wicked God card hidden there. He had no idea why the idea didn't occur to him before. It seemed to him that a church would be a good place to hide something like a Wicked God. Jaden entered the church, and as he expected, it was more or less empty. There was one person in there however, a red suited man with long grey hair. Jaden knew that it could only be Pegasus.<p>

"Mr. Pegasus, what are you doing here?" Jaden asked as he approached the creator of Duel Monsters.

"Ah Jaden, this is a surprise." Pegasus greeted as he noticed Jaden's arrival. "I'm guessing that you're here looking for one of the Wicked Gods."

"Yeah, and I'm guessing that there isn't one here." Jaden assumed.

"You guess correctly." Pegasus replied. "This was one of the first places that my men searched. Obviously they found nothing."

"Well, so much for that theory." Jaden said in a disappointed tone.

"Don't be discouraged my boy. I know you'll find where those cards are hidden." Pegasus said encouragingly. "Now, to answer your original question, I came here to investigate this old relic."

Pegasus gestured to a large stone tablet that was mounted to the wall. There was an image carved into the tablet. Though it was greatly worn with age, Jaden could tell that the image was of a sword of some kind. There was also some sort of writing engraved into the bottom of the tablet. It looked to Jaden like it might be the writing of some ancient culture.

"What exactly is this thing?" Jaden asked.

"This tablet, which is about 8,000 years old by the way, depicts an ancient and powerful sword." Pegasus explained.

"Where did it come from?" Jaden asked, a bit more intrigued.

"That, my boy, is perhaps the oldest legend on the island." Pegasus began. "Once upon a time, a pair of young lovers had earned the wrath of a powerful witch. The identity of this couple and what they did to anger the witch has sadly been lost to the sands of time. What is known is that the lovers fled the kingdom where they lived to escape the witch's wrath. The witch was relentless however. She sent an army of demons and creatures of the undead after them.

"Eventually, the two young lovers came to this very island. They lived in peace for a time, until the witch and her army of darkness found them. The young couple, realizing that they could no longer run away, stood ready to face their pursuers. They swore to each other that they would stand together, even in death. It was then that a miracle happened. Somehow, the strong love that the couple had for each other had created a powerful sword. Uniting their power, the lovers used the sword to slay the witch and her evil army in a single stroke."

"Wow, that's quite a story!" Jaden exclaimed. "But why are you so interested in this sword though?"

"Because I think this sword might be just what we need to destroy the Wicked Gods." Pegasus answered.

"You're using this sword tablet to make a card, aren't you?" Jaden asked in realization.

"That's correct." Pegasus replied. "Unfortunately, I haven't made much progress in completing it. I've been having trouble translating the text on the tablet."

"What kind of language is it?" Jaden asked as he looked at the tablet with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not sure, one theory I have is that it's some language from the lost city of Atlantis, but I'm hardly certain." Pegasus answered. "My top researchers have been analyzing this text for months and have come up with nothing. I haven't had this much trouble with translating ancient text since I created The Winged Dragon of Ra card."

"Well, we probably won't need this card if I can find the Wicked Gods before anyone else does." Jaden said as he pondered the tablet.

"I certainly hope that making this card will end up being unnecessary." Pegasus agreed. "However, if the Wicked Gods do end falling into the wrong hands, this card may be our only hope."

* * *

><p>Later that night, in a forest behind the resort where the Astraea Island students were spending the weekend, Tamao was hiding behind a large bush waiting for Nagisa to walk by. The students were in the middle of a game that was traditionally played during the night of the resort trip. In this game, each of the students would form pairs and walk though the dark forest to a field on the other side. The first pair to make it to the field would be the winners. Afterward, all of the students would spend the rest of the night stargazing.<p>

Nagisa and Tamao had paired up for the game, but Tamao just couldn't resist the opportunity to play with her dear Nagisa. Before that year, Tamao had never had a roommate at the Strawberry Dorms. So she was overjoyed when she finally got one, but she never expected to get a roommate as cute as Nagisa. Tamao had become attracted to Nagisa since she first laid eyes on her. She had found that Nagisa was often cutest when she was scared, and she scared easily. The trip through the forest was the perfect opportunity for Tamao to scare Nagisa and record her cute screams.

Tamao suddenly heard footsteps approaching. She peeked over the bushes to see who it was. There was just enough light to see that it was Nagisa. Everything was going according to Tamao's plan. She turned on her tape recorder and waited for Nagisa to get close enough. The bluenette could see the scared expression on Nagisa's face. It was time to scare her.

As soon as Nagisa was only inches away, Tamao shook the bush she was hiding behind, causing Nagisa to scream bloody murder. Tamao found herself in pure ecstasy as she listened to Nagisa scream, and she was very happy that she was able to record that scream so she could listen to it as many times as she wanted to. She needed more though, so Tamao shook the bush again. Nagisa shrieked for a second time, and Tamao had gotten it all on tape. As much as she was enjoying herself, Tamao decided that enough was enough. If she continued scaring Nagisa, the redhead would either faint or run away and get lost.

Very quickly and quietly, Tamao turned off her tape recorder, put it her little bag, and circled around behind Nagisa. Very gently, Tamao touched Nagisa's shoulder, causing the redhead to scream one more time as she turned to see who was behind her.

"Oh, it's just you Tamao." A relieved Nagisa said as soon as she saw that it was only her friend who tapped her on the shoulder.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that my Nagisa." Tamao said with a tiny giggle.

"Just don't do it again." Nagisa responded, her heart still pounding like a jackhammer.

"I won't, I won't." Tamao reassured her. "Now shall we get going?"

"Yeah, let's go." Nagisa answered, and with that, the two of them preceded to leave the forest.

* * *

><p>That same night back on Astraea Island, Jaden sat looking out the window of his room at the head mistress's mansion. He was thinking about the card that Pegasus was trying to create to destroy the Wicked Gods. Jaden wondered if there could really be a card so powerful that it could destroy an army of monsters in a single stroke. As Jaden sat pondering, Pharaoh jumped up on the desk that Jaden was sitting at. As soon as the cat opened his mouth to yawn, a ball of golden light flew out.<p>

The ball took the shape of a transparent man with long black hair tied back into a ponytail, and wearing square framed glasses, a white shirt, and a black tie and pants. Jaden knew very well who the apparition was. It was his old history teacher, and the professor who ran the Slifer Red Dorm at his old duel academy, Professor Lyman Banner. Banner died during Jaden's first year at his old academy during the incident with the Shadow Riders and the Sacred Beasts, though some would say that he actually died a few years before that. The former professor of Slifer Red was the one who first discovered the Sacred Beasts in his quest to create the Philosopher's Stone, and contracted an incurable disease. Before Banner died, he used his knowledge of alchemy to create a homunculus body for himself. The homunculus body was imperfect however, and began to deteriorate. Banner finally died during a duel with Jaden

Death did not stop Banner from hanging around however. Banner had become a ghost, who most of the time, resided in the stomach of his former cat, Pharaoh. The very same cat that had become Jaden's after he graduated. As a result, Banner had become one of Jaden's few traveling companions, and a trusted advisor.

"Hello Jaden." Banner greeted in his usual enthusiastic manner.

"Hi Mr. Banner." Jaden greeted back, his mind still on the Wicked Gods and the card that Pegasus was creating to stop them.

"It sure has been awhile since I was last out. So, where are we this time?" Banner asked as he looked at his current surroundings.

"We're on Astraea Island." Jaden answered, his mind still on other matters.

"Astraea Island? What are we doing at a trio of all girl duel academies?" the confused dead teacher asked.

"Mr. Pegasus brought me to take care of some business for him." Jaden explained. "Say, do you know how to translate the language of the lost city of Atlantis?"

"Atlantis?" Banner asked, once again confused. "I'm afraid that translating a dead language like that is a little beyond my skill. Why do ask?"

"There's this tablet that Mr. Pegasus is trying to make it into a card." Jaden explained. "He thinks that the text engraved on it is written in a language from Atlantis. So far, his researchers haven't been able to translate it."

"What does this tablet depict?" Banner asked.

"It's this legendary sword that Pegasus said was used to slay an army of demons." Jaden answered.

"Of course, the legendary sword of Astraea Island!" Banner exclaimed. "I've heard the legend, but why is Pegasus trying to make that sword into a card?'

"Because we might need it to destroy some evil and powerful cards." Jaden answered in a serious tone.

At that point, Jaden told Banner the story about the Wicked Gods and their creation, and about his current quest to find them before an unknown enemy did. Banner listened to Jaden's story intently.

"I see." Banner said with a serious expression as soon as Jaden finished his tale. "This is very bad. Pegasus's apprentice may have greatly upset the balance when he created these Wicked God cards."

"What do you mean?" Jaden asked.

"Well, I've mentioned before that the Sacred Beasts are dark counterparts to the Egyptian God cards. A sort of reflection." Banner explained. "The Egyptian God cards are the light, while the Sacred Beasts are the darkness."

"What does that have to do with the Wicked Gods?" Jaden asked, not understanding what Banner was trying to tell him.

"You said that Pegasus's apprentice used research on the Egyptian God cards to create the Wicked Gods. As a result, he created a second set of evil counterparts." Banner explained. "Because there are two sets of dark counterparts to the Egyptian Gods, there is now more darkness than light. Meaning that the darkness out ways the light, and thus might throw the world into chaos."

"This is worse than I thought." Jaden said as he realized what Banner was telling him. "If I don't find these cards, the world might be destroyed."

"That's right." Banner confirmed. "Especially if these cards fall into the wrong hands."

* * *

><p>The next afternoon, back at the resort, Nagisa and Tamao were packing their things and preparing to leave. It had been a short vacation, but a fun one. Still, no matter how much fun she was having, Nagisa could not get Shizuma completely off of her mind. She had no idea why the silver haired goddess was dominating her thoughts, but there were times during the trip where Nagisa would wonder what Shizuma was doing at that very moment, or how she was feeling. Nagisa found that she couldn't wait to return to the island, so that she could see Shizuma once again.<p>

"Are you ready to go?" Tamao asked, snapping the redhead from her own thoughts.

"Uh, yeah. All packed!" Nagisa replied in her usual enthusiastic manner.

"I hope you won't be lonely while I'm gone." Tamao said to start conversation.

"Gone?" a confused Nagisa asked. "Oh yeah, you're going to be with your family during the summer."

"That's right." Tamao confirmed. "It's a shame that you can't go stay with your parents during the summer break."

"It can't be helped since they're working overseas." Nagisa replied.

"You're sure you won't be lonely while I'm gone?" Tamao asked as she suddenly grabbed Nagisa's hand.

"I-I'll be fine Tamao, I promise." Nagisa answered with a slight tone of surprise.

"Okay." Tamao replied with a smile. "C'mon, we better get going. The bus will be here soon."

Nagisa nodded, and the two friends went outside to wait for the bus that would drive them to the boat that would take them back to Astraea Island.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> As you've probably guessed, I've made up a card for this story. It won't show up until later in the story though.

Review and let me know what you think.


	10. In the Heat of Summer

**Author's Note:** Since the last two chapters didn't have much action, I decided to go ahead and add this one.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

* * *

><p>Chapter 10: In the Heat of Summer<p>

Summer break had come to Astraea Island. Most of the students had left to be with their families. Jaden once again found himself alone in his search for the Wicked Gods, since Chikaru and her God Hunter Club were among the students who had left. He had become a little frustrated since he was still hitting a dead end. Plus the search had become more urgent to Jaden since he had his little talk with Banner a few nights ago. He had learned that if he didn't find the Wicked Gods, the world might be destroyed.

At that particular moment, Jaden was taking a stroll in the field behind Miator to try and clear his thoughts. Suddenly he came across a familiar redhead sitting on the ground. Instead of her regular Miator uniform, Nagisa was wearing a white sleeveless shirt and a matching white skirt cut above the knee.

"Hey Nagisa." Jaden greeted as he walked up to the redhead.

"Hi Jaden." Nagisa greeted back. "You're still here on the island?"

"Yeah, the job that I have to do for Mr. Pegasus is taking a lot longer than I thought it would." Jaden answered. "What're you still doing on the island? I thought you'd be spending the summer with your family."

"I can't, since my parents are working overseas." Nagisa explained.

"It must be kind of lonely around here without Tamao and the others." Jaden responded.

"Actually, I've been spending a lot of time with Shizuma." Nagisa replied. "So I haven't been real lonely."

"Why are you spending so much time with Shizuma?" Jaden asked out of curiosity.

"Well, Miyuki wanted me to spend this time studying French since I'm still behind the other students." Nagisa explained. "So Shizuma has been tutoring me some more."

"Doesn't sound like you're having that great of a summer." Jaden assumed.

"Well, it's been hard work learning French, but I've actually been enjoying spending so much time with Shizuma." Nagisa replied.

As if on cue, Shizuma suddenly showed up, standing a few feet in front of where Jaden and Nagisa were sitting. The silver haired beauty had her arms crossed over her chest. Shizuma cleared her throat to get the attention of the two chatting friends.

"Oh, Shizuma! I didn't see you there." Exclaimed a startled Nagisa.

"Break time is over Nagisa." Shizuma said with a serious expression on her face.

"Oh… Okay. Well, it was nice talking with you Jaden." Nagisa said as she got up to leave with Shizuma.

As the two girls were leaving, Shizuma stopped for a moment and turned back to give Jaden a death glare that sent a chill down his spine. A moment later, both girls were gone.

"What was that about?" Jaden asked himself.

"I think Shizuma was telling you to stay away from her girl." Yubel said as she suddenly appeared.

"Her girl?" Jaden asked the Duel Monster with a confused look. "Wait, are you saying that Shizuma has a thing for Nagisa?"

"Oh my naïve Jaden." Yubel chuckled. "You could see from our first day on the island that Shizuma is attracted to little Nagisa."

"Oh…" Jaden responded as he thought back to when he first met Shizuma and Nagisa. "Do you think that Nagisa feels the same way?"

"Well I can't say for certain," Yubel answered with an amused smile, "but she certainly did swoon the first time she saw Shizuma."

"I thought Nagisa fainted because she was sick or something." Jaden said with a tone of surprise, causing Yubel to chuckle more.

"You still have a few things to learn Jaden." Yubel said to her human partner.

* * *

><p>Two days later, Jaden was once again taking a stroll through the field behind Miator, and a few feet away from him, he once again stumbled across a familiar redhead. Nagisa was wearing the same outfit that she was wearing when Jaden ran into her two days before. And she wasn't alone. Sitting near where Nagisa was laying on the ground was a person who Jaden at first mistook for a young man. Jaden soon realized however that it was Amane. The blue haired tomboy was wearing black jeans, an old pair of brown riding boots, and a loose fitting long sleeved white shirt with the top two buttons undone. Jaden thought that what Amane was wearing made her look more like a prince than ever before. The prince image was reinforced by Amane's white horse, which was standing nearby. Jaden found that he was close enough to hear Nagisa and Amane's conversation.<p>

"You're so different from the other Miator girls." Amane said to Nagisa. "They're all like caged birds, all concerned with tradition and school customs. You aren't like that though. You're more free spirited."

At this point, Amane crawled closer to Nagisa until their faces were mere inches away from each other.

"You're such a mysterious girl." Amane said to Nagisa, causing the redhead to blush a little.

Suddenly, Shizuma showed up and stopped only three feet away from the two.

"Well, this is certainly interesting." Yubel said to Jaden as she appeared next to him.

"Maybe we should go." Jaden said, feeling a bit awkward.

"Aww, but I wanna watch!" Yubel pouted.

"Break time's over!" Shizuma announced, greatly startling Nagisa and Amane and snapping them out of the heated moment they were having.

"Oh, I guess I should be going now." Nagisa said to Amane as she got up to leave with Shizuma. "It was nice seeing you Amane."

Shizuma gave Amane the same death glare she gave to Jaden before leaving with Nagisa.

"So much for an interesting show." Yubel said with a disappointed sigh.

"Let's go." Jaden said as he shook his head at the duel monster.

As Jaden walked away from where he saw the heated incident, Amane rode by on her horse and stopped a few feet away from Jaden.

"I didn't expect to see you here." Amane said to Jaden as she dismounted.

"Hey Amane, it's been awhile." Jaden greeted back as he tried to pretend that he didn't see what happened between Amane and Nagisa. "How're you doing?"

"Pretty good I guess." Amane replied. "Although I apparently made a move on someone who was already spoken for."

"Okay…" Jaden said, pretending not to know what Amane was talking about. "So what're you still doing on the island?"

"I'm staying here to take care of Star-Bright." Amane replied, indicating her white steed. "Why are you still here?"

"Oh I'm just doing some work for Mr. Pegasus." Jaden answered. "Um… so how are you and Hikari getting along?"

"Uh, we're getting along pretty well." Amane answered with a slight blush. "She's a nice girl."

"Do… you miss having her around?" Jaden asked in an attempt to continue the conversation.

"Yeah… yeah I do sorta." Amane answered in a tone that indicated that she seemed a little uncomfortable talking about the subject.

There was an awkward silence between the two at that point. Jaden thought that perhaps he had asked the wrong question. Jaden's mind raced to find a way to salvage the conversation.

"So out of curiosity, why won't you enter the Etoile tournament?" Jaden suddenly asked, earning a look of surprise from Amane. "I mean, everyone I've talked to on the island thinks that you can win it."

There was another moment of silence between the two as Amane gave Jaden a thoughtful look.

"I just don't see the point." Amane finally answered. "I've already proven to myself I'm good. I don't need some title to say I am. Besides, I don't want to get tied down to a partner."

"Partner?" Jaden asked a little confused.

"Say, would you mind doing me a little favor?" Amane asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"What kind of favor?" Jaden asked with a raised eyebrow.

Amane walked over to her horse and pulled her duel disk out of the saddlebag.

"I need to let off a little steam." Amane explained as she put the duel disk on her arm. "Normally I'd just go for a long ride, but since you're here, I thought we could have another duel."

"Sounds like a good idea." Jaden said with a smile. "Game on!"

With that, the two duelists activated their duel disks. Once their life points were set to 4000, the duel began.

"I'll let you go first this time." Amane said to her opponent.

"If you say so." Jaden responded as he drew his first card. "First I activate Polymerization and fuse Elemental Hero Clayman and Elemental Burstinatrix to summon Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster in Defense Mode!"

A warrior that looked like Burstinatrix wearing an enhanced version of Clayman's armor appeared on Jaden's side of the field in a crouched position. Rampart Blaster's left arm ended in a shield, which was raised in protection. On the hero's right arm was a large, futuristic blaster type weapon.

"Wow, 2500 DEF points. That's quite the barrier monster." Amane complimented.

"Thanks." Jaden replied. "I'd say that my Rampart Blaster is just as good a barrier as that Obnoxious Celtic Guardian you played in our first duel."

"I'm not sure I'd go that far." Amane said back with a tone of pride.

"Anyway, next I play the Spell card, Branch!" Jaden continued. "Now if a Fusion monster I control gets destroyed, I can summon one of the monsters used to summon it! That ends my turn!"

"You've put up quite the defense." Amane commented as she drew her next card. "Let's see what I can do to smash it."

"Bring it on!" Jaden dared the blue haired tomboy.

"First I summon Maruading Captain in Attack Mode!" Amane announced.

An unshaven warrior in a tattered cape and armor appeared on Amane's side of the field.

"When Marauding Captain is summoned, I can Special Summon a level four or lower monster from my hand." Amane explained. "So I Special Summon Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke in Attack Mode!"

A white robotic ninja wearing a green vest appeared next to Marauding Captain.

"Next I equip Marauding Captain with Black Pendant!" Amane announced. "This increases his ATK from 1200 to 1700!"

A necklace with a dark purple crystal in the center appeared around the captain's neck.

"Now Sasuke, attack Rampart Blaster!" Amane commanded. "Ultimate Ninjitsu Art!"

Sasuke leapt into the air and prepared to strike Jaden's armored warrior.

"But Sasuke only has 1800 ATK!" Jaden exclaimed.

"That may be true," Amane said with a sly grin, "but when Sasuke attacks a Defense Position monster, he instantly destroys it!"

In a flash, Sasuke threw several blades at Rampart Blaster, instantly destroying the hero.

"I activate the effect of Branch!" Jaden announced. "I Special Summon Clayman in Defense Mode!"

Jaden's stone armored warrior appeared back on the field.

"I guess that's all I can do." Amane said with a shrug. "My Marauding Captain can't beat your Clayman's 2000 DEF. I end my turn!"

"So much for crushing my defense." Jaden said with a cocky smile as he drew his next card.

"Don't get overconfident. This duel is just getting started!" Amane said back confidently.

"I won't deny that." Jaden replied. "First I activate Pot of Greed and draw two new cards!"

Jaden grinned as he looked at his two new cards.

"Next I summon Elemental Hero Avian in Attack Mode!" Jaden announced.

Jaden's winged hero appeared on the field.

"Next I activate Miracle Fusion!" Jaden announced. "I fuse Avian on the field with Bustinatrix in my Graveyard to summon Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!"

Burstinatrix reappeared on the field and merged with Avian into a green warrior with one white wing and a red dragon headed arm.

"Flame Wingman, attack Marauding Captain!" Jaden commanded. "Flame Shoot!"

Flame Wingman fired a burst of flames from his dragonhead arm, destroying Marauding Captain. The attack reduced Amane's life points from 4000 to 3600.

"Don't forget, when Flame Wingman destroys a monster and sends it to the Graveyard, my opponent takes damage equal to the destroyed monster's ATK!" Jaden reminded as Flame Wingman shot a fireball at Amane. Amane's life points were reduced from 3600 to 1900.

"Not bad," Amane said as she recovered from the blast, "but you should also remember that my Black Pendant deals 500 points of damage to my opponent when it's destroyed."

A spark of purple lightning suddenly hit Jaden, reducing his life points from 4000 to 3500.

"I guess I'll end my turn!" Jaden announced.

"You're in for a real treat." Amane said after she drew her latest card. "I summon my favorite monster, Warrior of Zera, in Defense Mode!"

Appearing on Amane's side of the field was a muscular warrior with tan skin and yellow eyes. The warrior was wearing blue pants and a green helmet with red horns. On his hands were gauntlets of green armor, and a green tunic that covered his chest and upper back. Tied around Zera's neck was a long red scarf. Zera was in a kneeling position holding a sword that had a crossguard in the shape of a blue dragon's head. Jaden was actually quite familiar with the Warrior of Zera. It only had 1600 ATK and had no effects, but Jaden knew that it had the power to evolve into other powerful monsters.

"Wow, so why is Zera your favorite monster?" Jaden asked out of curiosity. Amane responded with a shrug.

"I guess I can identify with him a little." Amane explained. "He prefers to fight alone, looking for something better."

"You're trying to find something better?" Jaden asked in surprise. "What is it you're trying to find?"

"I'm not sure." Amane replied. "I just sometimes feel like there's something missing from my life."

"Well I hope that you find what you're looking for." Jaden said encouragingly.

"Thanks!" Amane replied. "Anyway, I switch Sasuke to Defense Mode! Next I set one card and end my turn!"

Jaden looked at the card he drew. It was a good card, but there wasn't much he could do with it at that moment. At least he had a powerful monster on the field.

"Flame Wingman, attack Zera!" Jaden commanded. "Flame Shoot!"

Flame Wingman raised his dragonhead arm and prepared to fire another blast.

"Don't think that I'm going to let you destroy my favorite card so easily!" Amane exclaimed. "I activate my facedown card, Kunai With Chain! I equip this card to Zera and switch Flame Wingman to Defense Mode!"

Zera suddenly swung a chain with a three-pointed blade and whipped it around Flame Wingman's legs, knocking the hero to the ground.

"I guess I end my turn." Jaden announced.

"I should probably mention that Kunai With Chain raises Zera's ATK from 1600 to 2100." Amane said as she drew her next card. "First I switch Zera and Sasuke to Attack Mode!"

Zera and Sasuke stood back up. Zera had the end of his chained weapon wrapped around his left wrist. The bladed end was still wrapped around Flame Wingman's legs.

"Next I summon Blade Knight in Attack Mode!" Amane announced. A knight in shining silver armor appeared on Amane's side of the field. "Now I equip Blade Knight with Lightning Blade, raising his ATK from 1600 to 2400!"

A sword with an electrified blade replaced Blade Knight's original saber.

"Now because I only have one card in my hand, Blade Knight's ATK rises by another 400 points!" Amane explained.

"Zera, attack Flame Wingman!" Amane commanded. "Blade of Zera!"

Zera stabbed Flame Wingman in the chest with his sword.

"Now Sasuke, attack Clayman!" Aamne commanded. "Ultimate Ninjitsu Art!"

The white android ninja fired a flurry of blades at Clayman, completely destroying the stone armored hero. Jaden's field was wide open.

"Blade Knight, attack Jaden directly!" Amane commanded. "Electric Blade!"

The shinning knight slashed Jaden across the chest with his electric sword. Jaden's life points fell from 3500 to 700.

"I end my turn!" Amane announced.

Jaden found that he was having a real blast. Amane was the strongest duelist that he had faced in quite awhile, and she wasn't holding anything back.

"I activate a Field Spell, Neo Space!" Jaden announced after he drew his latest card.

In a flash, the field that the two duelists were standing in vanished, and they were suddenly standing in an area of outer space that was swirling in rainbow colors.

"Wow, pretty." Amane commented as she looked around at the new surroundings.

"I'm glad you like it." Jaden replied. "Next I summon Neo-Spacian Grand Mole in Attack Mode!"

A brown mole with shoulder armor that looked as if it was made by a split drill appeared on the field.

"Since you've brought out your favorite monster, I'm going to return the favor and bring out mine!" Jaden announced. "I activate Fake Hero and Special Summon Elemental Hero Neos from my hand!"

Jaden's trademark hero in white appeared on the field next to Grand Mole.

"Neos gains 500 extra ATK thanks to Neo Space!" Jaden explained. "Now I Contact Fuse Neos and Grand Mole into Elemental Hero Grand Neos!"

Neos and Grand Mole leapt high into the sky, fading out of site. A moment later, Neos reappeared in a different form. His torso, lower legs, and left hand were covered in olive green armor, and he wore and olive green helmet to match. A large drill covered Neos's right hand, and parts of Neos's white body suite had turned brown.

"Just like his original form, Grand Neos gains 500 extra ATK from Neo Space." Jaden explained. "Plus he gets to stay on the field at the end of the turn."

"So this is the power of your ace monster." Amane observed.

"You haven't seen anything yet!" Jaden replied. "Now I activate the effect of Grand Neos, Nebula Hole! I use it to return Sasuke to your hand!"

A large black bubble formed around Sasuke briefly before it vanished, taking the android ninja with it.

"Now that you have two cards in your hand, your Blade Knight's ATK drops back to 2400!" Jaden announced. "Grand Neos, attack Blade Knight with Nebula Shot!"

Neos raised his drill and sent forth a wave of black energy that tore the silver knight to pieces. Amane's life points dropped from 1900 to 1300.

"I think I'll end my turn there!" Jaden announced.

"Why didn't you attack Zera?" Amane asked.

"The way I see it, we each have one turn left in this duel, so I want it to be a battle between our ace monsters." Jaden explained. "My Neos against your Zera!"

"You're on!" Amane exclaimed as she drew her next card. "I set one card on the field and end my turn!"

Jaden knew that Amane had set a Trap of some kind, but when he saw his next card, he wasn't worried about it.

"Grand Neos, attack Zera!" Jaden commanded. "Nebula Shot!"

"I activate my Trap, Sakuretsu Armor!" Amane announced just as Grand Neos was about to fire another burst of cosmic energy. "When an opponent's monster attacks, the attacking monster is destroyed!"

A confident smile appeared on Amane's face when Grand Neos exploded, but it quickly vanished when the smoke cleared and she saw Neos still on the field in his original form.

"How on earth…?" a stunned Amane asked.

"I activated Reverse of Neos from my hand!" Jaden explained. "When a Neos Fusion monster is destroyed by a card effect, I can Special Summon Elemental Hero Neos from my deck! Neos gets destroyed at the end of the turn, but he gains 1000 extra ATK!"

"That means Neos has 4000 ATK!" Amane exclaimed, still stunned. Jaden nodded.

"Neos, attack Zera!" Jaden commanded. "Wrath of Neos!"

Neo leapt into the air and delivered an earth-shattering punch to Zera's face. Amane's life points dropped to zero, and the area around the two duelists changed back to the field behind Miator. Amane walked over to Jaden and shook his hand.

"Thanks for that duel. It really helped." Amane said to her worthy opponent.

"No problem. I think I needed to let off a little steam too." Jaden replied. "We should do this again sometime."

"I'd like that." Amane said with a smile. "Well, I think I'll get going. I hope to see you again sometime."

With that, Amane walked up to her white horse and got back on. Jaden waved to Amane as she rode away. Jaden found that he hadn't felt so good since before he'd found out about the Wicked Gods. He had been so stressed out about finding them that he had once again forgotten to have fun. That duel with Amane was just what he needed. It was getting late in the afternoon, so Jaden decided to head back to the head mistress's mansion. The search for the Wicked Gods could wait one more day.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, Nagisa stood out on the roof of Miator by the pool, watching the last of the setting sun. It had been an interesting day. The most interesting part of it was her encounter with Amane. What Nagisa couldn't quite understand was why Shizuma seemed to get so mad before. What was wrong with spending time with Amane? Nagisa suddenly remembered that Shizuma had reacted the same way when Jaden was visiting with her two days before.<p>

"Mind if I join you?" a voice from behind asked. Nagisa turned to see that it was Shizuma.

"Um, not at all." Nagisa answered. Shizuma took a position on Nagisa's left.

"I'm sorry for how I acted earlier today," Shizuma suddenly said, "and for how I acted when I found you talking with Jaden Yuki a couple of days ago. I was afraid that they were going to steal you away."

"Steal me away?" a confused Nagisa asked.

"…The truth is, I really like you Nagisa." Shizuma answered as she suddenly grabbed Nagisa's hand. "I don't want anyone else to have you."

"Uh, uh, it's getting late. I should be getting back to the dorms!" a startled and flustered Nagisa said as she pulled her hand out of Shizuma's.

As she quickly tried to leave, Nagisa slipped and fell into the pool. She was a bit stunned as she slowly floated to the bottom. Just as she was about to swim back up to the surface, Nagisa saw Shizuma swimming towards her. Shizuma grabbed Nagisa's hand and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Nagisa was startled at first, but after a moment, she found that the kiss felt right. It felt more than right actually, it felt incredible. It felt like how she always hoped her first kiss would be like. Time seemed to stop as they floated in the water. It was at that very moment that Nagisa's feelings for Shizuma had become something a bit more.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> The duel in this chapter was a fun one to write. A friend of mine who read the chapter said that he liked the whole Warrior against Warrior deck thing I had going. By the way, there's a good reason why I decided to have Warrior of Zera as Amane's favorite card.

Review and let me know what you think.


	11. A Date With the Prince

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

* * *

><p>Chapter 11: A Date With the Prince<p>

The summer break on Astraea Island had come to an end after two weeks. The students had returned to the island, and Jaden once again had the aid of Chikaru and her God Hunter Club. Two days after the return of the students, Jaden was on his way to Lilum to meet with Chikaru and her gang. On his way there through Miator grounds, after another unsuccessful search, he ran into Nagisa, who was sitting on the ground with what looked like a troubled expression on her face. Jaden decided to go over and see if he could do anything to help.

"Hey Nagisa." Jaden greeted as he walked over to the redhead.

"Oh, hi Jaden." Nagisa greeted back as she was snapped out of her own thoughts.

"Anything wrong?" Jaden asked he took a seat next to Nagisa.

"…Promise you won't think I'm weird?" Nagisa asked hesitantly after a brief pause.

"Of course." Jaden answered, wondering what the big problem was.

"…I think… I'm in love with Shizuma." Nagisa whispered after another pause.

"Told you so." Yubel said, as she suddenly appeared standing behind Jaden.

"I see." Jaden said to Nagisa. "Does Shizuma feel the same way?"

"Oh Shizuma defiantly has feelings for me." Nagisa replied with a heavy blush on her face as she remembered the incident at the pool and a few steamy incidents that happened afterward. "I'm not sure if it's love though."

"…So have you told Shizuma how you feel?" Jaden asked, not certain if he asked the right question. He was, after all, a duelist, not a love doctor.

"I'm not really sure how I feel since I've never been in love before." Nagisa replied in a slightly distressed tone. "Have you ever been in love before?"

Jaden was rather shocked by Nagisa's question. He had never thought about being in love before, although he did feel a certain way about Alexis.

"Well… there is this one girl that I actually kinda like," Jaden replied, "but I'm not sure if it's love though."

"Hmph, I honestly don't know what you see in that Alexis girl." Yubel said with a scowl. Jaden ignored the Duel Monster's comment.

"What should I do Jaden?" Nagisa asked, hoping that the pro-duelist could give her some advice.

"To be honest I don't really know." Jaden answered. "I'll help you in any way I can, but I think that this is something that you have to figure out for yourself."

"I see, thanks Jaden." Nagisa replied. "Well, I should get going. I told Tamao that I'd help her with something. See you later."

"Later." Jaden replied as Nagisa got up and left.

"You handled that pretty well." Yubel said in an impressed tone.

"I wish there was something more that I could've done." Jaden replied.

"You did everything you could. Like you said, Nagisa needs to figure things out on her own. She knows that she has feelings for Shizuma, now she has to figure out what those feelings are." Yubel said reassuringly. "Now let's get going. You don't want to keep Chikaru and the others waiting."

"Right." Jaden replied, and with that he continued on his way to Lilum.

* * *

><p>About the same time out behind the church where the Spica School Choir would practice and perform, Yaya was waiting outside for Hikari. It was Hikari's turn to help put stuff away. Yaya was waiting around to escort Hikari back to the dorm. Ever since Jaden had told her about the incident with Kaname and Momomi, Yaya was a bit reluctant to let Hikari walk back alone. She couldn't bare the thought of anything bad happening to Hikari. She cared far too much about her to let her come to harm.<p>

At last, Hikari came out of the church. There was a smile on the blond girl's face that made Yaya's heart melt. Yaya just couldn't get enough of that smile.

"Ready to go?" Yaya asked.

"Um, actually I'd like to go spend a little time by the fountain." Hikari answered in her usual shy manner, which Yaya always found so adorable.

"Whatever you like." Yaya happily complied.

Out by the church was an old fountain, which was one of Hikari's favorite spots on the island. It was a quiet, secluded spot where someone could go to think. The two girls arrived there after a short walk and sat down on one of the benches in front of the fountain.

"So, have you seen Amane since you've been back?" Yaya asked a little reluctantly.

"No, I haven't." Hikari answered back with a touch of sadness.

"You've really missed her though, haven't you?" Yaya asked, knowing full well what the answer was. Though it was an answer that she didn't particularly like.

"The truth is… I've thought about almost nothing but seeing Amane again since I've been back." Hikari finally answered. Yaya was crushed by what Hikari had just told her, but she was determined to hide her feelings.

"Hey, I've got an idea. Why don't you and Amane go out on a date?" Yaya suggested with an enthusiastic smile that hid feelings of heartache.

"Go out on a date with Amane?" Hikari exclaimed in a tone that suggested that she thought the very notion of a date with the woman prince was completely absurd. "Yaya, I-I can't, I mean she would never…"

"Oh, come on." Yaya interrupted in her previous tone of false enthusiasm, "Amane obviously likes you, and you're crazy about her. Why not take things a step further?"

"But… where would we go?" Hikari asked in an attempt to find an excuse not to follow Yaya's advice.

"You could go to the town on the mainland near the resort." Yaya answered. "There's a boat that takes students there every weekend."

"I don't know…" Hikari replied sounding very unsure about the idea.

"Don't know about what?" a voice suddenly asked. Yaya and Hikari turned to see that it was none other than Amane herself.

"Now's your chance." Yaya whispered to Hikari. "Well, I think I'll leave you two alone. See you later Hikari!"

With those words, Yaya quickly but hesitantly got up and left. Yaya hated losing Hikari to Amane, but Hikari's happiness was more important than her own.

"So what were you two talking about?" Amane asked the nervous blond.

"I…I…I was…I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me this weekend?" Hikari finally blurted out.

"Out where?" Amane asked.

"To…to the town near the summer resort. We could go have some lunch or something." Hikari answered nervously. She was certain that Amane would decline her invitation.

"Sounds great. How about Saturday?" Amane asked, greatly surprising Hikari.

"Uh, S-Saturday's fine." Answered a stunned Hikari.

"Great! I'll see you at the dock at 10:30 on Saturday." Amane replied.

Behind the bushes nearby, a familiar dark haired tomboy and brown haired girl watched the couple. An evil smile was on both their faces.

* * *

><p>Later that night in the Strawberry Dorms, Kaname and Momomi were plotting a new scheme as they prepared for bed. Hikari's date with Amane had caused a problem for them, but it also provided them with an opportunity.<p>

"It's just as we predicted." Momomi said, as she emerged from the bathroom in her yellow nightgown. "Amane and that girl Hikari are getting closer. If we don't do something quick, Amane will end up entering the Etoile Tournament."

"We probably could've prevented this if that Yaya girl wasn't always sticking around Hikari." Kaname noted as she sat on her bed.

"Don't worry my dear, we still have chance to prevent this from getting any further." Momomi said as she sat down next to Kaname, putting her arms around the tomboy in the process. "Hikari will be alone and vulnerable on her way to meet Amane. It'll be the perfect chance for you to seduce her."

"There's still one other problem," Kaname said with a slight scowl, "Jaden Yuki."

"You're not actually afraid of him, are you?" Momomi asked in a surprised tone.

"You saw those eyes of his after he beat me." Kaname reminded. "Plus that final attack of his monster actually knocked me to the ground. I had a bruise from it afterward."

"You're right, that is unsettling." Momomi agreed. "Still, he shouldn't be a problem. Since your first attempt to steal Hikari away from Amane, Jaden has been hanging around with Chikaru and her little group, roaming the island like they're searching for something. Whatever they're doing, Jaden's been too busy to come after us."

"What if he runs across us while we're making this attempt?" Kaname asked in a concerned tone.

"If he does, I'll deal with him." Momomi answered. "He may have beaten you, but there's no way he can defeat me."

"I don't want you risking yourself like that." Kaname responded. "You could get hurt."

"Don't worry about me my sweet. I'm tougher than I look." Momomi said reassuringly as she started kissing Kaname's neck. "And you know how aggressive I can be."

"Okay then." Kaname said as an evil smile returned to her face. "We'll need to lure Hikari away while she's on her way to meet Amane."

"Leave that to me." Momomi said just before giving Kaname a passionate kiss and pushing her down onto the bed.

* * *

><p>Saturday finally came, and Hikari was on her way to meet Amane. She was wearing a light yellow summer dress that Yaya had picked out for her. In fact, Yaya had insisted that Hikari took two hours to get ready. Hikari was of course very nervous about her date, but she was also really looking forward to it as well. Just as Hikari was leaving the Strawberry Dorms, she stopped when she saw Momomi in her path.<p>

"On your way to meet Amane, I take it?" Momomi asked with a smile that seemed anything but innocent.

"What do you want?" Hikari demanded with a hint of fear in her voice.

"There's no need to be suspicious. I'm only here to tell you of a change of plans." Momomi replied innocently.

"What kind of change?" Hikari asked suspiciously.

"Only that Amane wants to meet you somewhere else." Momomi replied. "She sent me to get you."

"Why would Amane send you?" Hikari asked.

"She and I are old friends." Momomi lied. "I'm doing this as a favor to her. Now c'mon, you certainly don't want to keep Amane waiting."

Hikari was very suspicious of Momomi. After all, Momomi was there when Kaname attacked her and did nothing. Still, Hikari didn't want to take the chance of keeping Amane waiting, if what Momomi was telling her was true. Against her better judgment, and rather naively, Hikari followed Momomi. Moments later, Yaya emerged from the dorms just in time to see Hikari walking away with Momomi. Hikari had forgotten her sunhat, so Yaya rushed out to give it to her. Sensing that something was wrong, Yaya decided to follow the two. Not too far away, someone else had seen Hikari following Momomi, and he decided to follow as well.

* * *

><p>Down by the docks, Amane was waiting for Hikari. She was wearing blue jeans and a light-blue long sleeved shirt. Amane looked at her watch and saw that it read 10:15. The boat off the island would be there in fifteen minutes. She was wondering what was keeping Hikari. As more time passed, Amane was becoming more and more anxious. She was starting to worry that maybe Hikari had changed her mind about going out, or that maybe something bad happened to her. Amane didn't like either of those options. Still, the only thing she could do at that moment was wait.<p>

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Momomi was leading Hikari up a stone path to an isolated spot on Spica grounds, further and further away from the docks. Hikari was becoming more and more concerned that Momomi was leading her into a trap. Her fears were confirmed when Kaname suddenly emerged from around the corner ahead of her.<p>

"It's been awhile my little Hikari." Kaname said with a predatory smile. "Now why don't we pick up where we left off?"

Hikari backed away in fear as Kaname approached her. She could not believe that she had been so stupid as to fall into such an obvious trap. The worst part was that Amane was still waiting down by the docks. Just as Kaname was about to grab Hikari, Yaya suddenly appeared and jumped in between them.

"What're you doing here?" Kaname asked Yaya angrily.

"Making sure that you keep your filthy hands off Hikari!" Yaya responded with a glare. "Hikari, go now, Amane's waiting for you!"

Hikari nodded and quickly turned to leave.

"You're not going anywhere!" Momomi exclaimed as she blocked Hikari's path.

Suddenly, Momomi was knocked down by a fast moving muscular figure in white that vanished as quickly as he appeared. Hikari took the opportunity and ran away as quickly as she could. Momomi got up and looked around to see if she could find exactly who or what knocked her to the ground. What she saw was Jaden standing on a nearby hill, glaring at both her and Kaname as he put the Elemental Hero Neos card that was on his duel disk back into his deck.

"I thought I told you two to stay away from Hikari!" Jaden shot down to the two girls.

"This is none of your business!" Kaname shot back.

"I'm making it my business!" Jaden replied as he approached.

"I don't see why you're making such a big deal about this. I'm merely trying to show Hikari how I feel about her." Kaname said with a cocky smile that infuriated Jaden.

"You have a funny way of showing it!" Yaya cut in. "You don't show someone that you have feelings for them by forcing yourself on them!"

"I would say that 'forcing myself' is too strong a phrase." Kaname responded. "I was showing my feelings in the clearest way possible. After all, if you want someone in that way, the best way to show your feelings is to just simply take that person. What way is clearer?"

Kaname's words set something off in Yaya. She was beginning to wonder if she should show Hikari how she felt about her.

"Cut it out! We all know that the only reason you're after Hikari is because you're trying to hurt Amane!" Jaden shot back.

"Maybe we are," Momomi cut in, "but that's our business, so stay out of it!"

"No way!" Jaden declaired.

"Fine, than it's time I put you in your place you pest!" Momomi responded as she activated her duel disk.

"Bring it on!" Jaden replied as he activated his own duel disk. The game began when the life points of both duelists were set to 4000.

"I'll go first!" Momomi announced as she drew her first card. "I'll set one card facedown and set one monster in Defense Mode and end my turn!"

"My move!" Jaden announced as he drew his first card. "First I play Pot of Greed and draw two more cards! Next I summon Elemental Hero Stratos in Attack Mode!"

Appearing on Jaden's side of the field was a warrior in blue armor with a pair of mechanical wings on his back. The tinted visor of the hero's helmet hid his face.

"When Elemental Hero Stratos is summoned, I can add one Hero monster from my deck to my hand! So I add to my hand Elemental Hero Burstinatrix!" Jaden announced. "Now I activate Polymerization and fuse Elemental Hero Avian with Elemental Hero Burstinatrix to summon Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!"

Avian and Burstinatrix appeared briefly on the field before merging into the dragonhead-armed hero.

"Flame Wingman, attack Momomi's set monster!" Jaden commanded. "Flame Shoot!"

Flame Wingman raised his dragonhead arm and prepared to fire.

"I activate my Trap, Sakuretsu Armor!" Momomi announced. "Now your hero is destroyed!"

Flame Wingman disappeared in a powerful explosion. Jaden wasn't going to let the hero's destruction set him back though.

"Stratos, attack the set monster!" Jaden commanded. "Hero Typhoon!"

The propellers in Stratos's mechanical wings spun at incredible speed and shot forth a pair of twisters at the set card. Just before they hit, the monster was revealed to be a large, mantis-like insect. The insect was instantly destroyed.

"Thanks, you just destroyed my Flying Kamakiri #1, which lets me summon a Wind attribute monster from my deck as long as it has 1500 ATK or less." Momomi explained with a sinister smile. "I summon from my deck, Ultimate Insect LV1!"

Appearing on Momomi's side of the field was a large blue caterpillar with a red face and yellow eyes. A decorative pattern of faded dark-blue wadjet eyes in the style of the millennium eye ran along the caterpillar's body.

"My Ultimate Insect may have zero ATK points, but it will soon get far more powerful." Momomi explained.

"I lay down a facedown end my turn!" Jaden announced with a scowl. He knew had a very bad feeling about the monster that Momomi had summoned.

* * *

><p>Back at the docks, Hikari was running until she saw that the boat was departing. She stopped and looked at her watch and saw that it was 10:33. Hikari fell to her knees in a mixture of exhaustion and sadness. She couldn't believe that she had been so stupid as to let herself fall for Kaname and Momomi's trick. Hikari was convinced that Amane would never speak to her again. Tears began to stream down the blonde's face.<p>

"You finally showed up." Said a voice from behind. Hikari turned to look and saw that it was Amane. A smile was on the blue haired tomboy's face.

"Amane!" Hikari exclaimed as she ran to older girl. "I'm so sorry I'm late!"

"Don't worry about it." Amane said as she wiped the tears from the blond girl's face.

"But we missed the boat." Hikari said, still crying a little. "Our whole day is ruined because of me."

"All that matters is that you're here." Amane said reassuringly. Hikari's sadness began to fade at those words.

"What do we do now?" Hikari asked. Amane looked at the blond girl thoughtfully for a moment.

"There's another boat coming in a few minutes." Amane finally answered.

"But that boat doesn't go into town." A confused Hikari replied.

"True, but it does go to a place that I think you might like." Amane responded. "Are you interested?"

"Of course!" Hikari replied happily, and the two waited for the next boat.

* * *

><p>Back at the duel, Momomi was beginning her next turn. An evil smirk was on her face as she drew her latest card. Jaden knew that her so-called "Ultimate Insect" was the reason why she was acting so confident.<p>

"For my first move, I evolve Ultimate Insect LV1 into Ultimate Insect LV3!" Momomi announced.

The large blue caterpillar that was the Ultimate Insect suddenly doubled in size. The faded pattern of wadjet eyes became a more prominent red with yellow irises. Jaden suddenly noticed a strange red gas emanating from the insect.

"Not only does my insect's ATK become 1400, but because it was evolved from its previous form, it decreases the ATK and DEF points of all monsters on my opponent's side of the field by 300." Momomi explained. "That means the ATK of your Stratos' falls from 1800 to 1500! Now I summon Insect Knight!"

A brownish-grey humanoid insect with red eyes and a sword and shield appeared next to the Ultimate Insect.

"That thing has 1900 ATK!" Yaya exclaimed from where she was standing on the sidelines.

"Insect Knight, attack Stratos!" Momomi commanded. "Royal Saber!"

The Insect Knight lunged at Stratos with its saber raised high.

"I activate my Trap, Hero Barrier!" Jaden announced. "When I have an Elemental Hero monster on my side o the field, I can negate the attack of one of my opponent's monsters!"

A fast spinning shield suddenly appeared in front of Stratos, blocking the Insect Knight's saber.

"Fine, I'll play Swords of Revealing Light and end my turn!" Momomi announced with a note of irritation.

A wall of floating swords made of white light suddenly divided the field in half. Jaden knew that Momomi was buying time for her Ultimate Insect to evolve further. He looked at his next card. It wasn't anything he could use to remove the swords or destroy the Ultimate Insect.

"First I switch Stratos to Defense Mode!" Jaden announced. "Then I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in Defense Mode and end my turn!"

Jaden's stone armored hero appeared on the field in a crouched position next to a crouching Startos. Jaden knew that neither of his monsters would last long against Momomi's Insect Knight, since the Ultimate Insect's effect was weakening them. Momomi gleefully drew her next card.

"Now my Ultimate Insect evolves from LV3 to LV5!" Momomi announced.

The large blue caterpillar suddenly covered itself in a red cocoon. After what seemed like thirty seconds, the Ultimate Insect burst forth from its cocoon. Its new form was that of a silver insect that Jaden thought looked like a cross between a beetle and a mosquito. A green powder filled the air as the insect emerged.

"Now my Ultimate Insect has 2300 ATK, and instead of losing only 300 ATK and DEF, all my opponent's monsters lose 500 points!" Momomi explained. "For my next move, I summon another Insect Knight!"

A second humanoid insect identical to the first appeared on the opposite side of the Ultimate Insect.

"Now my Insect Knights, attack Jaden's monsters!" Momomi commanded. "Royal Saber!"

The two Insect Knights lunged at Jaden's monsters from between the swords of light and cut them both to pieces. Jaden was left wide open.

"Ultimate Insect, attack Jaden directly!" Momomi commanded gleefully. "Ultimate Sting!"

A barrage of stingers hit Jaden, reducing his life points from 4000 to 1700. Momomi began to laugh maniacally.

"This will teach you to interfere with our plans!" Momomi exclaimed. "Nothing will stop Kaname and I from keeping Amane out of the Etoile Tournament. With her out of the way, Kaname will become Spica's champion!"

"If Kaname wants to be champion, than she should beat Amane in a duel instead of attacking an innocent girl!" Jaden shot back. "Or is she just so afraid of not being able to beat Amane that she'd rather resort to underhanded tricks?"

Kaname was greatly startled by Jaden's words.

"I have no clue what trying to steal Hikari has to do with the Etoile Tournament," Jaden continued, "but the only thing that tricking Amane out of the tournament will prove is that you're both cowards!"

Kaname thought about what Jaden had just said. She certainly didn't like being called a coward, but she was starting to realize that Jaden was right. She wouldn't prove that she was stronger than Amane by beating Jaden or stealing away Hikari. The only true way for Kaname to prove herself was to actually face Amane in a duel, and that was something that she was always afraid to do. Momomi on the other hand, was not at all impressed by Jaden's little speech.

"You know nothing!" Momomi shot back. "The only thing that matters is making sure Kaname becomes champion! How we do it doesn't matter!"

Jaden's only response was to calmly draw his next card. Looking at his newest card, he saw that it was just what he needed to end the duel.

"I'll lay down two facedowns and end my turn!" Jaden announced. Momomi drew her next card.

"First, my Ultimate Insect evolves from LV5 to LV7!" Momomi announced.

The silver insect grew and changed color, its exoskeleton becoming red and blue. The shell on its back opened revealing a pair of powerful transparent wings. On its face was a set of three long yellow mandibles. As it started buzzing its newly formed wings, is scattered a red glowing powder over Jaden's side of the field.

"Now my Ultimate Insect had 2600 ATK!" Momomi explained. "Plus now all my opponent's monsters lose 700 ATK and DEF instead of 500!"

Jaden was unconcerned by how powerful the Ultimate Insect had become. He had set up the perfect defense against it.

"Ultimate Insect, attack Jaden directly!" Momomi commanded.

"I activate The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh!" Jaden announced, cutting Momomi off. "I use its effect to Special Summon Winged Kuriboh from my deck!"

Appearing on Jaden's side of the field was a ball of brown fur with large purple eyes, short green legs, and a pair of small white-feathered wings on its sides.

"That's your defense?" Momomi asked snickering. "How pathetic! Ultimate Insect, attack that little fur ball! Ultimate Buzzing!"

The Ultimate Insect began flapping its wings even faster. Jaden took that moment to strike.

"I activate my other Spell Card, Transcendent Wings!" Jaden announced. "By discarding two cards from my hand, Winged Kuriboh evolves into Winged Kuriboh LV10!"

Winged Kuriboh suddenly tripled in size, its wings becoming more developed. A golden dragon shaped ornament was on the top of its fury round body.

"Now I activate Winged Kuriboh LV10's special ability!" Jaden announced. "By tributing it during my opponent's Battle Phase, all of my opponents monsters get destroyed and my opponent takes damage equal to ATK of all the destroyed monsters!"

Winged Kuriboh exploded in a flash of white light, sending a shock wave that shattered all of Momomi's insects, and then hit Momomi herself with 6400 points of damage. Jaden had won the duel, and Momomi was not happy about it.

"Y-you…!" an enraged Momomi stammered. "This isn't over! Kaname will take care of you next!"

Jaden looked over at Kaname. The dark haired tomboy scowled a bit and then turned and walked away. Momomi turned and looked at where Kaname was previously standing, and was shocked to see that she was leaving.

"Kaname, where are you going?" Momomi asked after Kaname angrily. Momomi turned back to glare at both Jaden and Yaya before running after the tomboy. "Kaname, come back here!"

"Thanks for the help." Yaya said, turning to Jaden.

"No problem at all. I'm glad I was in the right place at the right time." Jaden replied.

"Well, I should get going. See ya later Jaden." Yaya said before turning to leave.

Jaden gave out a heavy sigh once he was alone. Yubel suddenly appeared next to him.

"That was an interesting duel." Yubel commented.

"No kidding." Jaden agreed. "I can't believe Kaname and Momomi! I don't think those two know the meaning of the word pride. Not that I care about pride before having fun."

"Oh, I think Kaname may know what pride means." Yubel theorized.

"What do you mean?" Jaden asked.

"What you said during the duel seems to have struck a nerve with Kaname." Yubel replied. "I think she's realizing that beating Kaname without actually dueling her is no victory at all. Plus I don't think she liked being called a coward."

"I hope you're right." Jaden responded. "It might mean that Kaname and Momomi would stop going after Hikari."

"You could always send our friend Neos to beat them to a bloody pulp." Yubel said wryly.

"I didn't like using Neos to knock Momomi out of the way like that." Jaden said as he looked down a little in shame. "I at least hope that Hikari and Amane are out having a good time."

* * *

><p>The boat that Hikari and Amane ended up boarding took them to a small island not to far away from Astraea Island. The island in question was home to a small abandoned military base that had become a historical site. Amane wasn't taking Hikari to see a dull historical museum however. The island also had a public beach that was usually vacant.<p>

"This is one of my favorite spots." Amane explained to Hikari as they stepped on to the beach. "I come here just to get away from everything for awhile."

"Wow, it's beautiful here, and so peaceful." Hikari commented as she listened to the gentle sound of the waves hitting the shore.

Suddenly the sky clouded over, and rain began to fall. The feint sound of thunder echoed from above.

"C'mon, this way!" Amane said as she grabbed Hikari's hand and started pulling her in a certain direction.

The two girls ran as fast as they could until they were in a small cave on the beach. Hikari sat down against the cave wall while Amane stood at the entrance watching the storm.

"It looks like this storm won't last too long." Amane guessed as she turned and sat down next to Hikari.

"I'm sorry this day isn't going too well." Hikari suddenly said.

"Don't worry about. It's not your fault that this storm hit, or that you were late." Amane said reassuringly. "Besides, I'm actually having a great time."

Hikari looked up at Amane and smiled. Tears of joy were welling up in the blond girl's eyes. About two hours later, the storm finally cleared, and Hikari and Amane headed back to the dock, for the boat back was soon to arrive. On the boat ride back, Hikari dosed off leaning on Amane. Amane gently started stroking the sleeping girl's hair. It was at that point that Amane realized just how beautiful Hikari was. Her curly blond hair and perfect skin made her look like an angel. Amane found a feeling of contentment having the sleeping Hikari next to her, and Amane started to wonder if she had finally found what she thought was missing in her life. Very gently, Amane put her arm around the sleeping girl, and the two spent the rest of the ride back in that position.

* * *

><p>A bit later, back in the Strawberry Dorms, Yaya was laying on her bed looking up at the ceiling in deep thought. She couldn't get what Kaname had said out of her mind. Yaya was in love with Hikari, but all she cared about was Hikari's happiness, even if it meant losing Hikari to someone else. Still, the more Yaya thought about it, the more insane it seemed for her not to show Hikari how she felt about her.<p>

"I'm back." Hikari said in a cheerful tone as she entered the room.

"How was your date?" Yaya asked, almost mechanically.

"Well, I'd be lying if I said it was the best date in history, but it was still great!" Hikari answered happily.

Yaya couldn't take it anymore. She immediately leapt off the bed and pushed Hikari against the wall, her lips pressing against the blonde's own. Yaya's wandering hand suddenly began pressing against Hikari's chest. Shocked, Hikari pushed Yaya off of herself and down onto the floor.

"…Yaya…why?" Hikari asked as tears started running down her face. Yaya had realized that she had made a terrible mistake.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> I had a tiny bit of difficulty figuring out what kind of deck Momomi should use. I wanted something that would fit her personality, so I chose Insects. Though that might have been a mistake later on.

Review and let me know what you think.


	12. A Special Friendship

**Author's Note:** There seem to be a few of you who like this story, so here's the next chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

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><p>Chapter 12: A Special Friendship<p>

Two days after Hikari's date with Amane, Jaden was doing his usual patrol of the grounds of the three schools. He was become more and more frustrated that he couldn't find the Wicked God cards. It seemed like he and the members of Chikaru's God Hunter Club had searched the grounds a hundred times. Jaden decided that wherever the cards were, they were probably in places on the island that were off the beaten path. After all, the cave where Chikaru found The Wicked Eraser was on the outskirts of the island. Jaden decided that the only way to find the cards was to search the outer parts of the island. It was a lot of territory to search, but it was the only place left to look.

As Jaden was leaving the territory of Miator and entering Spica territory, he suddenly heard a scream, a scream that sounded like Nagisa. Afraid that something was wrong, Jaden ran in the direction of the scream. What he found greatly surprised him. Instead of Nagisa in trouble, Jaden found Tamao listening to a recording device. The screaming was coming from the recorder.

"Uh, hi Tamao." A rather confused Jaden greeted. Tamao was greatly startled by Jaden's sudden arrival.

"Oh! A J-Jaden! What are you doing here?" Tamao asked as she quickly turned off the recorder and hid it behind her back. Tamao's face was as red as a tomato.

"I was just passing through." Jaden replied, seeing the awkwardness of the situation. "It's probably none of my business, but were you listening to a recording of Nagisa screaming?"

"That? Well, uh, you see…" Tamao began, her mind racing to find an excuse to explain what Jaden heard. Suddenly, Nagisa showed up, making the situation even more awkward.

"There you are Tamao, I've been looking everywhere for you! Oh, hi Jaden." Nagisa greeted in her usual enthusiastic manner. The redhead was completely oblivious to the current situation. "What's going on?"

"Ask Tamao." Jaden replied, putting Nagisa on the spot. Nagisa looked over at Tamao, who was frantically looking around for something she could use to change the subject.

"Um, uh, oh look! Isn't that Tsubomi over there?" Tamao asked pointing over at a girl with long light-pink hair and a yellow sweater over her Spica uniform.

"Yeah, it is." Nagisa replied looking over at the Spica student. "And she looks kinda down. Let's go see what's bothering her."

With that, Nagisa started heading in the direction of the pink haired girl. Tamao followed close behind, breathing a sigh of relief that she had successfully diverted attention away from her "special recording." Jaden hung back for a moment before he finally shrugged and joined the two girls. The Spica student they were about to visit with was Tsubomi Okuwaka, a first year student. Tsubomi was a girl who acted mature for her age, and was often hot tempered and a little outspoken. Tsubomi was in the Spica School Choir with Yaya and Hikari, and thus had become a friend of theirs. As a result, Tamao and Nagisa had also become acquainted with Tsubomi, and Jaden had met her a few times as well.

"Hi Tsubomi." Nagisa greeted. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, hi Nagisa, Tamao, Jaden." Tsubomi greeted back in a depressed tone. "There is something bothering me actually."

"What is it?" Nagisa asked.

"Well… Yaya and Hikari aren't speaking to each other." Tsubomi answered.

"How come?" Tamao asked.

"They won't tell me." Tsubomi answered. "I don't know what to do."

"Don't worry Tsubomi. We'll figure something out." Nagisa said reassuringly. "Why don't we go see Hikari together and try and find out what's wrong?"

Tsubomi nodded, and the three girls went off to go find Hikari. Jaden on the other hand hung back to figure out how he could help out.

"You want to help out too, don't you?" Yubel asked as she appeared. Jaden nodded. "Fine, what do you plan to do?"

"I think we need to go find Yaya." Jaden answered.

* * *

><p>Nagisa, Tamao, and Tsubomi all went to the one place where they knew Hikari was probably at, the fountain out by the church where the Spica School Choir practiced and performed. As the three girls expected, Hikari was there, sitting on the stone bench in front of the fountain, looking a bit sad.<p>

"Hi Hikari, we've been looking for you." Nagisa greeted as she walked over to the sitting Hikari.

"Oh, hello everyone." Hikari greeted back as she looked up and saw the three new arrivals. "What brings you here?"

"We heard you and Yaya were having some kind of fight or something." Nagisa answered. "So we came to see if we could help."

"Thank you, but I'm not sure that there's anything you can do to help." Hikari replied sadly.

"What exactly happened between you and Yaya?" Tamao asked. Hikari looked back down at the ground with a sad expression on her face.

"…I had just gotten back from my date with Amane." Hikari began. "I was talking to Yaya, and suddenly she jumped off her bed, pushed me up against the wall, and started kissing me. I was so shocked I pushed her off of me onto the ground. She hasn't spoken to me since."

Nagisa, Tamao, and Tsubomi were all shocked by Hikari's story. Nagisa sat down on the bench next to Hikari and put a reassuring arm around her friend's shoulder.

"Now Yaya won't talk to me." Hikari continued, her voice indicating that she was on the verge of tears. "I don't know what to do. I really cherish the friendship I have with Yaya."

"Don't worry, we'll figure something out." Nagisa said reassuringly. "I think all you and Yaya need to do is talk."

"How are we supposed to get Yaya to talk to Hikari?" Tsubomi asked with a frown. "Yaya is going out of her way to avoid Hikari."

"I think I may have an idea." Nagisa said with a grin. "We need to go find Yaya."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Jaden was on his own search for Yaya. He decided to go look in the church for the raven-haired girl. Jaden didn't really know where else to look. As he walked, Jaden was having a conversation with Yubel about the strange incident before the whole Yaya and Hikari issue came up.<p>

"Don't you think it's weird that Tamao would have a recording of Nagisa screaming?" Jaden asked his Duel Monster partner.

"Not at all. I think it's kinda cute actually." Yubel replied with a wry expression.

"You would." Jaden said as he rolled his eyes at the Duel Monster. Yubel wasn't as deranged as she was in the past, but she was still a little weird. "I think it's a little creepy."

"Tamao just has a little crush on Nagisa." Yubel countered. "I'm sure it's harmless."

"It seems more like an obsession to me." Jaden countered back. "Here we are at the church. We'll continue this later."

Jaden entered the church, and sitting at the front, he saw the raven-haired girl that he was looking to find. Yaya was looking down at the floor with a sad expression on her face.

"Well, it looks like I finally found you." Jaden said as he approached, surprising Yaya.

"Jaden! What are you doing here?" Yaya asked in surprise.

"Looking for you." Jaden replied. "I heard that you and Hikari are having some kind of fight, and I wanted to see if there's anything I can do to help."

"I don't think there is." Yaya said sadly.

"What happened?" Jaden asked as he took a seat next to Yaya. The raven-haired girl remained silent for a moment.

"…Two days ago when Hikari got back from her date with Amane, I threw myself at her." Yaya finally answered.

"Threw yourself at her?" Jaden asked, not understanding what Yaya meant.

"…I'm in love with Hikari." Yaya answered. "I've been in love with her since I first met her."

"I see…" Jaden replied, immediately beginning to understand what Yaya meant.

"It hurt me that Hikari was in love with Amane," Yaya continued, "but all I cared about was Hikari's happiness, even if it meant losing Hikari to someone else. Then I started thinking about something Kaname said just before you dueled Momomi, that thing about showing someone how you feel about them by taking that person."

Jaden knew what Yaya was talking about, and was a little surprised that she followed the advise of someone like Kaname. He said nothing about it though. Yaya was already feeling bad enough.

"I know that I shouldn't have listened to her, but it set something off in me." Yaya continued. "I couldn't take Hikari not knowing how I feel about her another moment longer, so when Hikari got back, I pinned her against the wall and started kissing her. She was so shocked she pushed me to the floor and started crying. Now I'm sure she hates me."

"I don't think Hikari hates you." Jaden said, trying to reassure Yaya.

"Why wouldn't she? I'm just as bad as Kaname now." Yaya responded with tears in her eyes.

"You're not as bad as Kaname." Jaden countered. "If you were, you wouldn't think that you did anything wrong. You only made a big mistake."

"That doesn't change the fact that Hikari hates me." Yaya replied.

"Have you talked to Hikari at all about this?" Jaden asked.

"I can't bring myself to do it." Yaya answered. "Besides, I don't think she'll speak to me."

"You should try. You and Hikari have too good of a friendship to let it be torn apart like this." Jaden replied. "If you want, I'll go with you to talk with Hikari."

Yaya was silent for a moment. She pondered what Jaden told her, and realized that he was right. Yaya didn't want to lose Hikari as a friend.

"Okay, let's go find Hikari." Yaya said as she stood up. Jaden nodded, and the two left the church to go repair a friendship.

* * *

><p>When Jaden and Yaya exited the church, it didn't take long for them to find Hikari, for she was walking towards them with Nagisa, Tamao, and Tsubomi following close behind.<p>

"Hikari! What are you doing here?" a startled Yaya asked as Hikari and the other girls approached.

"I've been looking for you." Hikari answered. "I've come to challenge you to a duel!"

Both Jaden and Yaya were greatly surprised by Hikari's challenge. Yaya looked at Hikari for a moment and saw the determined expression on the blonde's face. There was no way that Yaya could turn away from Hikari's challenge.

"Fine, I except your challenge." Yaya replied. The two girls activated their duel disks and prepared to face off. Jaden walked over to where Nagisa and the other two girls were standing.

"Why is Hikari challenging Yaya to a duel?" Jaden asked Nagisa.

"It was my idea." Nagisa answered. "I thought that it would be easier for them to talk things out if the were dueling."

"I see…" Jaden replied with a small smile on his face. Jaden thought that Nagisa's idea was a good one.

The life points of both Yaya and Hikari were set to 4000 and the duel began.

"I'll go first!" Hikari announced. "First I play a Field Spell, The Sanctuary in the Sky!"

The area that everyone was standing in suddenly transformed into an ancient Roman style temple that was high in the clouds.

"Next I summon Nova Summoner in Defense Mode!" Hikari announced. A wreath of orange crystal with small white wings and a green orb hanging in the center appeared on Hikari's side of the field. "Next I set two cards on the field and end my turn!"

"First I summon Goggle Golem in Attack Mode!" Yaya announced. A humanoid rock monster with black pants, black fingerless gloves, and a pair of goggles hanging around his neck appeared on the field.

"That's a Gemini monster!" Jaden exclaimed.

"What's a Gemini monster?" Nagisa asked.

"A Gemini monster is a monster that's treated like Normal monster while it's on the field and in the Graveyard, but becomes an effect monster when it's Normal Summoned a second time." Tamao explained.

"Wow, I could use some of those in my deck." An impressed Nagisa responded.

"You use mostly Normal monsters in your deck, right Nagisa?" Jaden asked. Nagisa nodded.

"My Nagisa has the cutest strategy!" Tamao exclaimed happily as she threw her arms around Nagisa, surprising the redhead. Jaden was taken aback by Tamao's display of affection, remembering the recording that the blue haired girl had of Nagisa screaming.

"Next I activate Double Summon!" Yaya announced. "This Spell card lets me perform a second Normal Summon this turn, so I once again summon Goggle Golem!"

Goggle Golem momentarily flashed with a white light before putting his goggles on.

"When Goggle Golem is Normal Summoned a second time, its ATK becomes 2100." Yaya explained.

"Wow, I had no idea that Yaya was such an awesome duelist!" Tsubomi exclaimed. She was greatly impressed that Yaya had summoned such a powerful monster during her first turn.

"I'll take this moment to activate my Traps, Solemn Wishes!" Hikari announced. "Now whenever I draw from my deck, I gain 500 life points for each of my two Trap cards!"

"That means Hikari will gain 1000 life points at the beginning of each of her turns." Nagisa realized.

"Goggle Golem, attack Nova Summoner!" Yaya commanded. "Rock Fist Punch!"

The rock monster leapt into the air and delivered a devastating punch to Hikari's monster.

"When Nova Summoner is destroyed in battle while The Sanctuary in the Sky is on the field, I can Special Summon Airknight Parshath from my deck!" Hikari announced.

Appearing on Hikari's side of the field was a creature that looked like a cross between a centaur and an angel. Parshath's upper body and front legs were clad in blue and gold armor. The horse half of Parshath's body was white, and white feathers grew from it.

"I set one card on the field and end my turn!" Yaya announced.

As Hikari drew her next card, white sparkling lights briefly surrounded her. Hikari's life points rose from 4000 to 5000.

"First I equip Parshath with Cestus of Dalga!" Hikari announced. Two golden blades replaced Parshath's sword and shield. "Not only does Parshath's ATK rise from 1900 to 2400, but I also gain life points equal to the battle damage that he inflicts!"

"Why is Hikari trying so hard to increase her life points?" Tsubomi asked.

"If Hikari is using the deck that I think she is, she'll need all the life points she can get." Jaden answered.

"Parshath, attack Goggle Golem!" Hikari commanded. "Avenging Blade!"

One slash of Parshath's blades, and the rock monster was reduced to rubble. Yaya's life points dropped from 4000 to 3700. At the same time, more sparkling lights surrounded Hikari, and her life points rose from 5000 to 5300.

"Not only do I gain 300 extra life points thanks the effect of Cestus of Dalga, but I get to draw one more card because Parshath inflicted battle damage!" Hikari announced as she drew another card. Once again, sparkling lights surrounded Hikari, her life points climbed to 6300.

"I activate my Trap, Gemini Trap Hole!" Yaya announced. "When a Gemini monster that has its effects activated is destroyed in battle, all of my opponent's monsters are destroyed!"

Parshath disappeared in a powerful explosion, leaving Hikari's side of the field wide open.

"I set one card on the field and end my turn!" Hikari announced.

"Why did you challenge me to this duel?" Yaya asked as she drew her next card.

"I wanted to talk to you about what happened between us." Hikari answered. "I want to know why you kissed me like that."

There was a long pause before Yaya spoke.

"It's because I love you!" Yaya finally answered, surprising Hikari. "I've been in love with you since the first day I met you!"

There was another pause after Yaya's declaration. Nagisa, Tamao, and Tsubomi were all shocked to hear what Yaya had said.

"Yaya… I don't know what to say." Hikari finally answered.

"You've already made your feelings clear. I know that you hate me now." Yaya said with tears in her eyes. "Now maybe the only thing left between us is this duel. I activate Polymerization and fuse Chthonian Emperor Dragon into Infinity Dark to summon Superalloy Beast Raptinus!"

A large dragon that looked as if it was stitched together from parts of different monsters suddenly appeared on Yaya's side of the field.

"While Raptinus is on the field, all of my Gemini monsters have their effects activated." Yaya explained, still a bit tearful. "Now I summon Blazewing Butterfly!"

A large butterfly with wings made out of fire appeared next to Raptinus.

"I activate the effect of Blazewing Butterfly and tribute it to summon Chthonian Emperor Dragon from my Graveyard!" Yaya announced.

Yaya's butterfly suddenly exploded into a pillar of fire, which faded and revealed a large green dragon with huge wings and a serpentine body.

"Raptinus has 2200 ATK, and my Chthonian Emperor Dragon has 2400 ATK." Yaya explained. "Plus Chthonian Emperor Dragon can attack twice. This duel is over!"

Nagisa, Tamao, and Tsubomi all seemed to agree with what Yaya had said, but Jaden was eyeing the card that Hikari had set on the field. He had a feeling that it was a card that could turn the whole duel around.

"Chthonian Emperor Dragon, attack Hikari directly!" Yaya commanded. "Chthonian Flame!"

The serpentine dragon shot forth a stream of fire from its mouth. In a split second, Hikari reacted.

"I activate my Trap, Mirror Force!" Hikari announced. "Now all of your monsters are destroyed!"

The dragon's flame hit a barrier of light, causing a backlash that created a huge explosion. Yaya's field was left empty when the smoke cleared.

"…I end my turn." Yaya announced. Hikari drew her next card. Sparkling lights surrounded her once again as her life points rose to 7300.

"Yaya, I could never hate you." Hikari suddenly said, surprising Yaya. "I do love you, but not in that way. My heart belongs to Amane, but I'll always consider you to be a special friend."

Yaya was greatly touched by Hikari's words. Though she wished that they were a little different. Still, Yaya found that she would at least like to have Hikari as a friend than not have Hikari at all.

"First I activate Graceful Charity!" Hikari announced as she continued her turn. "I draw three new cards and discard two!"

More sparkling lights surrounded Hikari as her life points increased to 8300.

"Next I activate Celestial Transformation!" Hikari announced. "This lets me Special Summon a Fairy-Type monster from my hand, though its ATK gets cut in half. So I summon from my hand, The Agent of Judgment-Saturn!"

Appearing on Hikari's side of the field was a purple skinned angel with dark purple wings and white and blue robes that looked like they were from Egypt.

"Now I activate Saturn's special ability, Final Judgment!" Hikari announced. "When my life points are higher than my opponent's while The Sanctuary in the Sky on the field, I can tribute Saturn to inflict damage to my opponent equal to the difference!"

Saturn raised its arms forward and exploded into a white light that washed out everything on the field. When the light finally cleared, everyone was back outside of the church, and Yaya's life points were at zero. Hikari walked over to Yaya.

"I'm sorry I forced myself on you like that." Yaya said to her friend.

"Let's just forget that it happened." Hikari said with a smile as she put her hand on Yaya's shoulder. "Now why don't we get something to eat?"

"I'd like that." Yaya said as she wiped away a tear. With that, the two friends walked away.

"Hey, wait up you guys!" Tsubomi said as she ran to catch up with Yaya and Hikari.

"We should get going too Nagisa." Tamao said right after the others left. "After all, you have some homework for French class to work on."

"Oh, right." Nagisa said with a grimace. "We'll see you later Jaden."

"Later." Jaden said as the two girls left. Once they were gone, Jaden turned to leave himself.

"Well, that was an interesting afternoon." Yubel said as she reappeared.

"Yeah." Jaden agreed. "It looks like things between Yaya and Hikari are okay now though."

"Now all we have to worry about is finding the Wicked Gods." Yubel responded.

"I guess so." Jaden responded. He was still a little concerned about Tamao and Nagisa, but he decided that it would be a problem for another day. Jaden still wondered though if Tamao and Nagisa would have a conflict like the one that Yaya and Hikari just hand, and if their friendship would be able to survive it if they did.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> So I ended up having Hikari use an Agent deck. Now it was mentioned in one of the previous chapters that Amane's favorite monster is Warrior of Zera. So if any of you reading are familiar with the card game, you might be able to guess where this is going.

There's a bit more drama starting in the next chapter, so stay tuned. In the meantime, review and let me know what you think.


	13. Turning Point

**Author's Note:** I think the title of this chapter pretty much says it all. Prepare for the drama.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

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><p>Chapter 13: Turning Point<p>

The months passed and fall came to Astraea Island. Jaden was no closer to finding the Wicked Gods, even with the help of Chikaru and her friends. He was becoming a bit more frustrated. Not that his time on the island wasn't enjoyable. He had after all made a few friends. Jaden felt that he was running out of time, however. Banner's warning about the Wicked Gods throwing the world into chaos weighed heavily on his mind.

The island had become a buzz with activity in the recent months. For one thing, the three schools had just finished holding a play that was traditionally held for an annual drama festival on the island. Jaden found it a little odd that schools that were devoted to dueling would have a drama festival, but after spending so much time on the island, he had gotten used to such occurrences. The play that was performed was an adaptation of Carmen, which Tamao herself had written. Shizuma and Nagisa had ended up with the lead roles. Jaden was quite impressed with the performance. He had no idea that Shizuma and Nagisa were such good actors.

The other reason why the students on the island were so active was because the Etoile Tournament was fast approaching. Some of the students were helping with the preparations, while others were gossiping about who they thought was going to win. Amane was still the current favorite, but she had yet to enter. One particular afternoon, Jaden was strolling by Miator, when he saw Nagisa and Tamao outside talking.

"Hey girls." Jaden greeted as he walked up to the two girls.

"Hi Jaden." Nagisa greeted back in her usual enthusiastic manner. "What brings you here?"

"I was just passing through." Jaden answered. "What have you two been talking about?"

"Well, we were starting to talk about the Etoile Tournament." Nagisa replied. "We were kind of wondering if Amane would actually enter."

"The bigger question is who Amane's partner would be if she did enter?" Tamao added.

"Partner?" Nagisa and Jaden asked in unison.

"Oh, didn't you two know? The Etoile Tournament is a tag duel competition." Tamao replied. "Both partners have to be from the same school, and the team that wins becomes Etoile."

Jaden suddenly remembered something that Amane had said to him just before their last duel. She said that one of the reasons why she didn't want to enter the tournament was because she didn't want to be tied down with a partner.

"But Shizuma is the only Etoile." Nagisa observed. "If there are supposed to be two Etoile, what happened to the other one?"

"…The other Etoile died." Tamao answered a bit hesitantly. Both Jaden and Nagisa were shocked by what Tamao had told them.

"What happened to her?" Nagisa asked.

"I don't know. It happened the year before I started coming to Miator." Tamao answered. Suddenly the bell rang. "Oh, time for our last class Nagisa. See you later Jaden."

"Yeah, later." Jaden replied, and with that the two girls went into the building. Jaden pondered what Tamao had told him and Nagisa about Shizuma's dead partner. It did seem to explain a few things about the mysterious Etoile, but he wanted to know more, so he decided to ask someone who he thought might know more of the story.

* * *

><p>Inside Miator, another meeting between the three student council presidents had ended. Chikaru was just leaving the meeting room. It was a little harder than usual because she had to walk around on crutches. She had injured herself just before the play, and Nagisa had to take her place in the roll of Carmen. As soon as Chikaru left the room, she found someone outside waiting for her.<p>

"Oh, Jaden! This is a pleasant surprise." Chikaru greeted with her usual warm smile.

"Hi Chikaru." Jaden greeted back. "I came here to ask you about something."

"What about?" Chikaru asked.

"I just found out from Tamao that the Etoile Tournament is a tag duel competition." Jaden answered. "I also found out that Shizuma's partner in the tournament died. I was wondering if you knew anything about it."

"Why do you want to know about that?" Chikaru asked.

"There's something about Shizuma that's been bugging me for awhile." Jaden answered. "I think that maybe if I find out about this partner, it'll clear up some things."

"Well, I do know a little about Shizuma's partner." Chikaru replied. "Her name was Kaori Sakuragi. I didn't know her too well, but she died not too long after she and Shizuma became Etoile."

"What happened to her?" Jaden asked.

"She had some kind of disease that proved to be fatal." Chikaru answered a bit sadly. "It was a big shock to everyone. C'mon, there's something I think you should see."

"Where are we going?" Jaden asked as he followed Chikaru.

"To Miator's library." Chikaru answered. "There's something there that might answer some more of your questions."

A few minutes later, Jaden and Chikaru were in Miator's library. Jaden was waiting at one of the tables when Chikaru finally came back with a large book.

"I could've gotten that for you." Jaden told Chikaru as she sat down.

"Oh it was no trouble." Chikaru responded as she opened the book to a certain page. "Here's what I wanted you to see."

Jaden looked at the page that Chikaru presented to him. It had a picture of two girls standing in the church on the island. The picture looked like the girls were just awarded something. One of the girls in the picture was Shizuma, who was wearing an elegant red dress. The girls standing next to Shizuma was shorter and had pale skin and short black hair that ended just above her shoulders. A large pink bow was on the back of the shorter girls head, and she was wearing a gold dress that was just as elegant as Shizuma's. Jaden noticed that the two girls in the photo were holding hands.

"This is Shizuma and Kaori just after they won the Etoile Tournament." Chikaru explained. "As I recall, they're victory was quite a surprise to everyone."

Jaden's eyes wandered down to the bottom of the page. There was a line that told Jaden what kind of decks that Shizuma and Kaori both used. Apparently, Kaori used a Fairy deck. That didn't surprise Jaden since that was the type of deck that Shizuma had used against him, but then he read what the book said that she used.

"Shizuma used an Elemental Hero deck?" a surprised Jaden asked.

"Oh that's right. I'd almost forgotten about that." Chikaru answered. "After they both won the tournament, neither of them dueled very much. In fact, Shizuma didn't duel again until the night you came to the island."

Jaden looked thoughtfully at the picture for a moment. He found that it was disappointing that Shizuma didn't use her Elemental Hero deck against him that night when she dueled him. A Hero against Hero duel would've been really fun. One thing was clear to Jaden though, Shizuma was obviously using Kaori's deck that night.

"Well, I have a few things to get done. Please take that book to the reference desk when you're done." Chikaru said as she got up to leave. "See you at the next God Hunter Club meeting."

Jaden waved at Chikaru as she left, then turned his attention back to the book.

_'Shizuma and Kaori must've been really good friends.'_ Jaden thought to himself.

"I'd say that they were more than just friends." Yubel said as she suddenly appeared.

"You think they were in love?" Jaden asked the Duel Monster with a whisper. Yubel nodded.

"I also think that Shizuma hasn't gotten over Kaori's death." Yubel added. "Look at the melancholy way that she acts. She didn't even try to beat you in that duel, and she even told you herself that she's lost passion for a lot of things in life. It's like she's stopped living."

"…I'm guessing that there isn't anything we can do to help her, right?" Jaden asked sadly. Yubel shook her head.

"The only person who might be able to help Shizuma is Nagisa." Yubel answered. "Though there is a chance that Nagisa will only end up getting hurt."

"What do you mean?" Jaden asked.

"Well, Shizuma obviously has feelings for Nagisa." Yubel began. "If she actually is in love with Nagisa, she'll have a reason to start living again. However, if Shizuma is only using Nagisa to try and fill the void left in her heart by Kaori, than Nagisa's own heart will only get broken."

"It's that serious?" Jaden asked sounding more concerned. Yubel nodded.

"Shizuma and Nagisa's relationship has reached a turning point." Yubel continued. "It'll either become something more, or end in heartache. Now that Nagisa knows about Shizuma's dead partner, it's only a matter of time before their relationship changes."

Jaden reflected on what Yubel had told him. She was right; there was nothing that he could do to help the situation. Not that it was really any of his business anyway. All he could do was wait and hope for the best.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Nagisa was out by the lake, thinking about what she heard from Tamao. For the past two months, Nagisa and Shizuma had gotten a bit closer, but there were still a few things that Nagisa still didn't know about her. One of them was this dead partner that Shizuma had, and it was a secret that really seemed to trouble Nagisa. Who was this dead girl, and just what was she to Shizuma? Nagisa needed to know the answers to those questions.<p>

One thing was clear to Nagisa though. She did truly love Shizuma. It took her awhile to figure it out, but there was no question about what she felt, it was love. After all, who wouldn't be able to fall in love with someone as beautiful, smart, and elegant as Shizuma? Nagisa didn't want any more secrets between her and Shizuma though. She wanted to know everything about her. Nagisa tried looking for Shizuma at the green house earlier, she wasn't there. So Nagisa decided to wait by the only other place she knew Shizuma would be, out by the lake. At long last, Shizuma finally showed up. The silver haired beauty stood starring at the lake.

"Shizuma!" Nagisa called out as she rushed over to her potential girlfriend. "I've been looking for you."

"Is something wrong?" Shizuma asked in a concerned tone.

"…There's something I need to know." Nagisa began nervously. "Earlier, Tamao told me about the Etoile who died. I want to know who she was… and what she meant to you."

A shocked expression appeared momentarily on Shizuma's face before being replaced by a pair of the saddest eyes that Nagisa had ever seen.

"…I suppose it's time you know about that." Shizuma finally said. "I won't tell you here though. I want to tell you this weekend at my villa here on the island."

Nagisa looked at the serious expression on Shizuma's face. There was no way that she could turn down Shizuma's invitation. Nagisa nodded as a sign that she accepted.

"We'll leave on Saturday at noon." Shizuma told the redhead before kissing her forehead. "I'll pick you up outside of the dorms."

With those words, Shizuma left. Nagisa turned to look at the lake. Never before had she felt as anxious as she did at that moment.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Shizuma was in the empty room in the Strawberry Dorms that she often visited. The room belonged to Kaori when she was alive, and over time it had become a shrine to her. The door to the room was usually locked, and only Shizuma and Miyuki had the key. So Shizuma knew exactly whom it was when the door suddenly opened.<p>

"You've finally come Miyuki." Shizuma greeted, not once turning away from the window.

"What is it you wanted to see me about?" Miyuki asked with her usual stern expression.

"I need the key to the villa." Shizuma answered, surprising Miyuki.

"You aren't doing what I think you're going to do?" Miyuki asked in a slightly worried tone.

"I'm taking Nagisa up there for the weekend." Shizuma replied, finally turning to face Miyuki. "It's time that I told her everything."

"You know how I feel about you getting too close to Nagisa." Miyuki said disapprovingly.

"You worried about me getting hurt again?" Shizuma asked.

"It's not you getting hurt that I'm worried about." Miyuki answered as she looked down at the ground sadly. "It's Nagisa that I'm worried about."

"Why are you worried about her?" Shizuma asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you really in love with Nagisa, or are you just using her to take the place of Kaori?" Miyuki asked, causing Shizuma to pause. After a moment, Shizuma began to walk towards Miyuki.

"I'm not sure." Shizuma finally answered. "All I know is that I have feelings for Nagisa. It's time for me to move on and put the past behind me."

Shizuma started to undo the top buttons of Miyuki's uniform, revealing a large metal key around her neck. Shizuma took the key from Miyuki.

"There's no way that I can talk you out of this, is there?" Miyuki asked sadly.

"Since when have you been able to talk me out of anything?" Shizuma asked back with a half smile.

"I guess I'll be going than." Miyuki said as she buttoned her uniform back up and left the room. Shizuma was once again left alone with her thoughts.

* * *

><p>Later that night, in the secluded house on the outermost grounds of Miator, the mystery man who was seeking the Wicked Gods was once again admiring The Wicked Eraser, along with another card that he had.<p>

_'It's only a matter of time.'_ The man thought to himself. His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of his young female assistant.

"What brings you here at this late hour?" the man asked as he put down his cards.

"We need a quicker way to find the cards." The mystery girl answered.

"Are you still worried about Jaden Yuki finding the cards first?" asked the mysterious villain.

"That's part of it." His henchwoman answered. "It's just that something's come up. We need the cards sooner than later. If we don't, my own plans might be ruined."

"Well I'm afraid that there isn't much we can do." The mystery man responded. "We must wait for the Wicked Gods to reveal themselves."

"I still don't know what you mean by that." The henchwoman replied in a somewhat impatient tone.

"I suppose it's time I explain." The mystery man said with a sigh. "I've mentioned to you before that the Wicked Gods want to be found, but they don't want to be found by just anyone. They want someone with the right qualities."

"Qualities?" the henchwoman asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Each of the three Wicked Gods embodies three different traits," the mystery man explained, "cunning, ruthlessness, and wrath. The cards want to be wielded by duelists who have the capacity for those qualities. Ms. Chikaru for example has the capacity for great cunning, which is why The Wicked Eraser chose her as its wielder."

"Do you have all of these qualities?" the henchwoman asked.

"Well you know that I am a cunning individual my dear," the mystery man continued, "and I am ruthless in both dueling, and carrying out my plans. As for wrath, well… you know how I feel about Yugi Muto."

"What about Jaden Yuki, doesn't he have these qualities?" the henchwoman asked. At this question, the mystery man chuckled.

"I've done a little research on our Mr. Yuki." The mysterious villain answered. "He's obviously a powerful duelist, but from what I've found out about him, I doubt that he has the qualities that the Wicked Gods are looking for. He doesn't seem all that cunning or ruthless, and I don't really think that he has anything to be wrathful about."

"Well if you have these 'qualities' that the cards are looking for, why don't you go out and look for the cards yourself?" the henchwoman demanded. The mystery man sighed.

"We've been through this before my dear." The man said as he got up from his chair and stepped into the light being produced by the lit fireplace in the room, revealing his features. He had long light-green hair and pale-green eyes. The man was wearing buttoned up a black leather coat and white pants. "This isn't an island that I can walk around on unnoticed. If I'm discovered, my plans will be ruined, and neither of us will get what we want."

"So you want me to be your scout." The henchwoman cut in. Her green haired master nodded.

"You can look for the cards without being noticed." The mystery man continued. "If you find the resting places where the cards are hidden, you can lead me there and I can get the cards myself. However, if the cards have already been found, than it's your job to defeat the wielder and bring the card to me. Although with Jaden Yuki on the island, that part might be unnecessary."

"It's just more urgent now that we find the cards." The henchwoman said sounding a little frustrated.

"You must be patient." The green haired man said with a reassuring smile as he put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "The cards will reveal themselves soon. Just keep your eye open for them."

"As you wish Mr. Tenma." The henchwoman replied.

* * *

><p>Saturday finally came, and Nagisa was anxiously waiting out in front of the Strawberry Dorms for Shizuma. Never before had Nagisa felt so nervous. Spending the night at Shizuma's villa was something that Nagisa was both looking forward to and dreading at the same time. Not only was Nagisa going to be spending a night alone with Shizuma, but she was also going to learn the truth about Shizuma's dead Etoile partner, and that was what Nagisa was dreading most. Nagisa was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice Jaden walking up to her.<p>

"Hey Nagisa." Jaden greeted, causing the redhead to flinch and cry out a bit.

"Oh, hi Jaden." The startled Nagisa greeted back with a nervous smile as she caught her breath.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. What are you doing out here?" Jaden asked.

"I'm waiting for Shizuma to pick me up." Nagisa answered. "I'm spending the night at her villa here on the island."

"I see…" Jaden replied with a slightly worried expression that Nagisa didn't notice. If Yubel was right about Shizuma and Nagisa's relationship, Jaden could guess what was going to come of this trip to the villa. It would either end really well or very badly.

Suddenly a long black limo pulled up in front of the school. The back door opened and both Jaden and Nagisa were very surprised to see Shizuma get out. Shizuma glanced over and noticed Jaden.

"I'm a little surprised to see you here Jaden." Shizuma said to the wandering duelist. "Come to see Nagisa off?"

"I guess so." Jaden replied, still a bit surprised by Shizuma's entrance. "Um, is that your limo?"

"Why yes it is." Shizuma answered with a chuckle. The silver haired girl turned her attention back to Nagisa. "Well Nagisa, we should get going. The limo will take us part of the way there."

Nagisa nodded and started walking toward the waiting vehicle.

"One more thing." Shizuma added, causing Nagisa to stop and look at the silver haired beauty. "I want you to hold onto this for me."

Shizuma pulled a large metal key on a chain out of her pocket and put it around Nagisa's neck.

"Now let's go." Shizuma commanded. Nagisa nodded and got into the limo. Shizuma followed her in, closing the door behind her. As soon as both girls were inside, the limo drove off.

"So they're finally gone." A voice suddenly said. Jaden turned around and saw that it was Tamao, standing at the top of the steps to the doorway.

"Yeah, why didn't you see Nagisa off?" Jaden asked, though he had a feeling what the reason was.

"I just couldn't. Don't ask me why." Tamao answered with a sad expression. The blue haired girl suddenly looked up at the sky. "It looks like a storm is coming."

Jaden looked up and saw that there were storm clouds approaching.

"Yeah, I guess there is." Jaden replied, thinking that there was more than one kind of storm approaching.

* * *

><p>Later that night at Shizuma's small but magnificent two-story villa, a storm raged outside. It began to rain while Shizuma and Nagisa were out walking towards the villa. They both had to run to get to the door. After showering and changing into some robes, Shizuma and Nagisa sat in the main room by a lit fireplace sipping tea. When both girls finished, Shizuma put down her cup and saucer and looked at Nagisa serious expression.<p>

"You asked me about my Etoile partner, and it's time that I finally told you about her." Shizuma began. "Her name was Kaori Sakuragi, and she was my first love."

Shizuma's words greatly shocked Nagisa. The redhead knew that Shizuma had some sort of relationship with this girl, but she had no idea that it was something so significant, or at least she hoped that it wasn't.

"She was a kind and gentle girl." Shizuma continued. "I fell in love with her the moment I saw her, at least I think it was love. To this day I'm not quite certain just what love is, but whatever it was that Kaori and I had, it was wonderful. The happiest days in my life were the days that I spent with her."

"…What happened to her?" Nagisa asked hesitantly. Shizuma's expression saddened at the question.

"Kaori had been sick since the day I met her." Shizuma answered. "Her disease slowly worsened as time went on. She died a few months after we won the Etoile Tournament. …Come to think of it Nagisa, you're about the same age that Kaori would be today."

Nagisa suddenly felt a little uncomfortable being compared to Kaori. She tried to put the feeling out of her mind though.

"My world lost all color when Kaori died." Shizuma continued. "Everything in my life became meaningless. That changed when I met you though Nagisa. I feel like I can be my true self with you."

Nagisa didn't quite know how to react. It seemed to her like Shizuma was saying that she loved her, but she couldn't escape the feeling that Shizuma was only using her to replace Kaori. Shizuma glanced over at the clock on the wall. A small smile was on her face.

"It's late, we should get to bed." Shizuma said as she took Nagisa's hand.

Shizuma led Nagisa up the stairs to a room. It was a small room, but very neat and well furnished. Nagisa noticed a picture frame on one of the tables that was turned facedown. It didn't take much thought for Nagisa to figure out who's picture it was, but she tried to ignore it and pretend it was nothing.

"This was Kaori's room when she stayed here." Shizuma explained. "Though there were a few nights when we shared it."

Nagisa blushed a little when she realized what Shizuma had implied. Shizuma walked over to a small dresser in the room and pulled what looked like pajamas out of one of the drawers.

"These belonged to Kaori." Shizuma explained as she handed the clothing to Nagisa. "I'm sure that they'll fit you."

Just as Nagisa was about to take the clothing from Shizuma, lightning flashed outside the window. In that instant, Shizuma saw Kaori in place of where Nagisa was standing. Shizuma broke down and fell to her knees, holding onto Nagisa as she began sobbing.

"Kaori…" Shizuma called out tearfully. "Kaori…"

It was at that moment that Nagisa felt as if she'd been shot through the heart. She could deny it no longer. Shizuma didn't love Nagisa for who she was. She was only using her as a replacement for Kaori.

"I'm no good…" Nagisa suddenly said as tears began to form in her eyes. She pushed Shizuma off of her and ran out of the room. Shizuma got to her feet and looked at the door, quietly calling out Nagisa's name as another tear ran down her face.

Outside Nagisa was running as fast as she could in the pouring rain. She finally stopped to catch her breath. Shizuma had followed Nagisa out and finally caught up with her.

"Nagisa, come back inside!" Shizuma called out. "You'll get sick if you stay out here!"

"Go away!" Nagisa shot back. "It hurts to be near you right now! I love you so much Shizuma, but we both know that you don't love me! You're only interested in me because I remind you of Kaori! Well I'm not Kaori Shizuma, and I can't be her no matter how hard I try! I want you to love me for who I am, but I don't think you ever will!"

"Nagisa I…" Shizuma began, but she couldn't finish. Nagisa ran off again. At first, Shizuma started to go after her, but stopped when she realized that Nagisa was right. Shizuma was using her to fill the void that was left by Kaori, to try and pretend that Nagisa was Kaori. The silver haired girl gave up and headed back towards the house.

* * *

><p>Morning came and the sun once again shined on Astraea Island. Jaden was once again passing by the Strawberry Dorms, when he suddenly saw a familiar redhead in a pink robe walking towards the building. It looked to Jaden like Nagisa was walking all night. Nagisa got as far as the gate in front of the dorms when she suddenly collapsed. Jaden was quick enough to catch her though. He looked at Nagisa's face and saw that she had been crying. It didn't take much for Jaden to realize that the trip to Shizuma's villa had ended badly.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> I remember that this was originally a hard chapter for me to write. It was the first time I tried writing anything with a lot of drama. Any of you reading this who have seen the Strawberry Panic anime probably remember the episode where they had the play. Since this is primarily a Yu-Gi-Oh! GX story, I kind of felt that the play would slow things down. So I merely mentioned it at the beginning of the chapter.

I kind of revealed what kind of deck that Shizuma actually uses in this story. She was the hardest Strawberry Panic to come up with a deck for. What made it a little harder was that I couldn't use any cards that came out during the 5D's era, since this is a GX story. At first I had planned for Shizuma to use a Chaos or Spellcaster deck, but for reasons that I'll reveal later I decided to go with an Elemental Hero deck. One of course that's different from Jaden's.

I also ended up revealing who the villains of this story are just a little bit. I'll bet that most of you already figured out who the main villain was, and I may have made it obvious who the girl helping our villain is. Well, I think I should mention that there might be a small delay in adding the next chapter to this story. The next chapter is already written, but I think that it might need a few major rewrites. Plus I'm also working on another story at the moment, but I'll add the next chapter as soon as I can.

In the meantime, review and let me know what you think.


	14. Moving On

**Author's Note:** A recent review of this story told me that there was a pacing problem. When I originally wrote this story, I actually felt the same way. Unfortunately I didn't really think at the time that there was any way around it. I mean this is primarily a GX story, but the love stories present in Strawberry Panic are still an important part to the story. However, I do want make this as good a story as possible, so in an attempt to speed things up I've merged chapters 14 through 16 into one big chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

* * *

><p>Chapter 14: Moving On<p>

As soon as Jaden had run across Nagisa just as she collapsed, she was taken to her room at the Strawberry Dorms. The school doctor dropped by the dorms to check on Nagisa and found that she had only collapsed from exhaustion. Nagisa woke up later that day to find Miyuki sitting near her bed.

"I see you're finally awake." Miyuki said with her usual stern expression, though there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"Where am I?" Nagisa asked as she slowly sat up.

"You're in your room at the dorms." Miyuki answered. "Mr. Yuki was fortunate enough to run across you just before you collapsed. He helped to bring you here."

"Why are you here?" Nagisa asked.

"I felt that I owed you an explanation." Miyuki replied. "First, how much did Shizuma tell you about her Etolie partner?"

Nagisa looked down sadly. She took a moment to compose herself before she spoke.

"She told me that her name was Kaori and that she was her first love." Nagisa finally answered.

"I see… That will save us some time." Miyuki replied as she turned to face the window. "Let me start by saying that I never approved of Shizuma's relationship with you, nor did I really approve of her relationship with Kaori. It was for different reasons though. The reason that I never really approved of Shizuma's relationship with Kaori was because I knew that she would only be hurt in the end. It turned out that I was right. As for why I didn't approve of you having a relationship with Shizuma, it was because I was afraid of you getting hurt. I'm sorry to say that I was right again."

"…What do you know about Shizuma and Kaori?" Nagisa asked hesitantly. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know anymore about it, but a part of her felt that she had to know.

"I've been Shizuma's friend since I started attending Miator." Miyuki replied. "I was there when Shizuma first met Kaori, and I was also there when Kaori died. Because you are now involved, you have the right to know the whole story…"

* * *

><p><em>Miyuki's tale took place a few years before Nagisa started attending Miator. Even before Miyuki had become Miator's Student Council President. It all started on what might be considered by most as an ordinary day. But for Miyuki and Shizuma, the day wasn't quite that ordinary, because they had been given a very special assignment.<em>

_"I can't believe that we have to look after some sick first-year student." Shizuma complained._

_"This order came from the head mistress of the three academies herself." Miyuki reminded. "This student has an illness that makes it hard for her to do certain things. The head mistress wants us to help this girl get the full benefit of attending Miator."_

_"But why us?" Shizuma asked sounding a little irritated. "Surely there are others who can do the job."_

_"The head mistress chose us because we're two of the best students here." Miyuki replied. "Now stop complaining about it!"_

_"If she's so sick, how can she duel?" Shizuma asked with her arms crossed as she sat on her bed. "This isn't exactly a low contact sport you know. It can get a little intense."_

_"That isn't our business Shizuma." Miyuki replied. "Our only concern is to do the job we've been given."_

_"You can be way too serious sometimes Miyuki." Shizuma said as she got off the bed and walked closer to her roommate. Shizuma got behind Miyuki and leaned close enough to whisper in her ear. "You need to learn to loosen up."_

_Shizuma suddenly started to kiss Miyuki's neck, causing Miyuki to blush and push the silver haired girl off of her. Shizuma got up from the floor laughing._

_"You can be such a child!" a flustered Miyuki exclaimed. "Now come on! We have to go meet this new student."_

_Shizuma and Miyuki left their room and went to the room of the student that they were assigned to look after. Miyuki knocked on the door._

_"Come in." said a voice from inside the room. Miyuki opened the door._

_"Shizuma, this is Kaori Sakuragi." Miyuki introduced as she stepped out of the way so Shizuma could get a better look at this student they were charged to take care of._

_Shizuma's breath was taken away when she saw the girl in the room. She had short, black hair adorned with a large pink bow in the back. Her skin was almost as pale as snow. Shizuma thought that she was the prettiest girl that she had ever seen. She was like a living doll, and her Miator uniform only accentuated that look._

_"Hello…" was all that Shizuma could manage to say as she entered the room. Kaori replied by smiling back at her. That smile caused Shizuma to blush a little._

* * *

><p><em>As time went on, and as Shizuma spent more and more time with Kaori, the two became closer and closer. The summer came, and Shizuma, Kaori, and Miyuki all went to Shizuma's villa together. One evening, the three went to a nearby hill to do some stargazing. It was not that far a walk from the house. Once there, Kaori started running up the hill, but lost her breath about half way up. It was not a very steep hill, though it was a high one. There were times when Shizuma would forget just how frail Kaori's illness made her.<em>

_"Are you all right?" Shizuma asked in a worried tone._

_"I'm fine." Kaori said as she caught her breath. "I just overexerted myself. I was so excited about coming here that I couldn't help but run some of the way up."_

_Miyuki finished laying out the blanket. Shizuma and Kaori sat down on it while Miyuki went back down the hill to grab the cooler, which was left back at the house, leaving the two alone._

_"It's so beautiful up here." Kaori said as she took in the scenery._

_"I thought you'd like it." Shizuma replied with a smile._

_"…There's something that I want to show you." Kaori said a little nervously._

_"What is it?" Shizuma asked, her full attention on the black haired girl sitting beside her._

_"Promise you won't think I'm silly?" Kaori asked._

_"I could never think that." Shizuma replied as she put her hand over Kaori's._

_Kaori removed her hand, took out her deck, which was in a small bag that she had brought with her, and pulled out a card that she handed to Shizuma. The silver haired girl took a close look at the card. It was a monster card called Athena. The monster it depicted was a woman with long silver hair wearing white robes and a silver helmet. In one arm the woman carried a spear, and in the other a shield._

_"I got this card a few days before the trip." Kaori explained. "It's sort of become my favorite card."_

_"Why is that?" Shizuma asked._

_"It reminds me of you." Kaori replied._

_"Because we have the same kind of hair?" Shizuma asked with an amused smile._

_"That's part of the reason I guess." Kaori answered. "But the main reason is because it's strong and beautiful like you."_

_Shizuma blushed, then handed the card back to Kaori and put her arm around the younger girl's shoulder. Miyuki returned and looked at the couple with concerned eyes. She chose not to say anything however, and the three spent the rest of the night watching the stars._

* * *

><p><em>More time passed, and Shizuma and Kaori's relationship grew stronger. During that time, Miyuki was elected Student Council President, and the reign of the Etoile from that time was coming to a close. A new Tournament was about to be held. Miyuki was going over some paperwork that her duties as president required her to do, when she came across the list of participants in the tournament. She recognized two of the names right away, and decided to have a little talk with Shizuma.<em>

_"What is the meaning of this?" Miyuki demanded as she showed the list of participants to Shizuma._

_"I think it's pretty obvious." Shizuma replied with an innocent smile. "Kaori and I have entered the Etoile Tournament."_

_"I think this is a mistake Shizuma." Miyuki said with a disapproving tone._

_"Why? I think Kaori and I will make a good team." Shizuma responded. "I'm sure that we can beat anyone who enters that tournament."_

_"That's not why I don't think that you should enter." Miyuki replied. "It's just… Kaori's health isn't getting any better. I don't want to think about what might happen if…"_

_"…Don't you think that I know all that?" Shizuma asked her friend with sad eyes. "I know that Kaori isn't getting any better. Kaori knows that too. That's why we both want to enter. No matter what happens, we won't have any regrets."_

_Miyuki's expression softened after hearing what Shizuma had said. She knew that she couldn't stand in her friend's way._

_"I just don't want to see you get hurt." Miyuki said as she put her hand on her friend's shoulder._

_"You're a good friend Miyuki." Shizuma said with a smile that reflected a hint of sadness._

* * *

><p><em>The tournament finally came, and Shizuma and Kaori had made it to the final round. Their opponent's were a pair of students from Spica. The life points of Shizuma and Kaori were at 3000, mostly thanks to the defensive Traps that Kaori had been playing. They also had four cards on their side of the field. Shizuma had Elemental Hero Ocean and Elemental Hero Woodsman, which looked like a man that was part tree. Kaori meanwhile had Athena, along with a facedown card. Their opponents, on the other hand, were on the ropes with only 1800 life points. They also had no monsters, but they did have a card that was facedown. It was Shizuma's turn.<em>

_"I activate Polymerization!" Shizuma announced. "I fuse Elemental Hero Ocean and Elemental Hero Woodsman into Elemental Hero Terra Firma!"_

_The two heroes jumped into the small vortex that had appeared in the sky. A moment later, a giant warrior that looked like he was made of polished white stone dropped onto the field. He had a red gemstone on his chest, along with a larger blue gemstone on each shoulder. Terra Firma had 2500 ATK points, which was more than enough to finish the duel._

_"Terra Firma, attack them directly!" Shizuma commanded. "Terra Firma Impact!"_

_The white hero of Earth charged at the two Spica students, preparing to deliver the finishing blow._

_"I activate my Trap, Mirror Force!" one of the students announced. "Say goodbye to your victory!"_

_"Not so fast, I activate Trap Jammer!" Kaori announced. "The effect of your Mirror Force is canceled!"_

_Terra Firma's attack hit dead on, reducing the life points of the two Spica students to zero. Shizuma and Kaori were declared the winners. Later that day, there was a ceremony at the church on the island, where Shizuma and Kaori were awarded two small pendants that signified their position as Etoile. Kaori received a red pendant while Shizuma received a blue one. The crowed applauded once the two girls were crowned champions._

* * *

><p><em>A little more time passed. At first, Kaori was able to perform most of her Etoile duties with Shizuma. Their favorite duty was tending to the flowers in the Etoile greenhouse. After awhile though, Kaori's health took a turn for the worse. It got to a point where she couldn't really get out of bed. Shizuma spent every spare moment that she had by Kaori's bedside. The doctors did everything that they could, but in the end there was nothing they could do. Kaori died three months after she and Shizuma had become Etoile.<em>

_Not long after the funeral, Shizuma stood in Kaori's empty room. Miyuki joined her after awhile._

_"As long as we have the positions that we do, we can keep this room from being occupied." Miyuki told her friend._

_"I'd like that…" Shizuma replied calmly._

_"…Are you okay?" Miyuki asked, though she knew what the answer was._

_"I have no regrets about how it all turned out." Shizuma replied, not turning to look at her friend._

_"That wasn't what I meant." Miyuki responded as she looked down at the floor with sad eyes. She knew what the real answer was. "…I'll leave you alone for awhile."_

_Miyuki left the room, closing the door behind her. Moments after Miyuki left, Shizuma, overcome by grief, screamed and dropped to the floor sobbing._

* * *

><p>Back in the present, Miyuki was finishing her tale. Nagisa had taken in every word.<p>

"…Shizuma was never the same after that." Miyuki continued. "Her heart had become cold. It was as if she stopped living. It seemed, however, that Shizuma had started to become her old self when she met you. I did have hopes that you could help Shizuma forget about Kaori and start living again. As I feared though, those hopes were foolish. I'm sorry that you've been hurt by all this."

After a moment, Nagisa started crying, partly because of the sad story that she heard, and partly because it seemed that Shizuma never really loved her.

* * *

><p>Just outside of Nagisa's room, Jaden stood listening to Miyuki's story. The door was carelessly left open a crack, so he could hear every word. Jaden knew that it wasn't really his business. In fact he wasn't really supposed to be in the Strawberry Dorms, but Jaden felt that he had to hear that story. He wanted to know why Shizuma, a strong duelist that he respected, had lost passion for everything. He also wanted to know why Nagisa, a girl who had become his friend, ended up being hurt. Satisfied that he had heard the whole story, Jaden left the Strawberry Dorms. Once outside, Yubel appeared to talk with Jaden.<p>

"Eavesdropping is a bad habit to get into you know." Yubel said half jokingly.

"…I just had to hear to hear that story Yubel." Jaden replied as he stopped walking.

"I guess I had to hear it too." Yubel replied back. "You know that there isn't anything we can do. This is something between Shizuma and Nagisa."

"I know." Jaden replied as he looked down at the ground. "There's something that Miyuki said that I don't get. How can Shizuma ever forget Kaori?"

"She can't." Yubel replied. "Kaori will always be Shizuma's first love. She'll never forget her. But Shizuma does have to move on and except Kaori's death. Otherwise she'll never find happiness."

"…Do you think that Shizuma is really in love with Nagisa?" Jaden asked. Yubel shrugged.

"Maybe she is." Yubel replied. "But she'll never realize it until she moves on. She's still clinging to Kaori's memeory."

"How did you get to be so wise?" Jaden asked with a half smile.

"I've been around awhile." Yubel shrugged. "Granted I went a little nuts after a few years, but I've seen a few things."

"…I wish that there was something we could do." Jaden said sadly.

"I know, but this is out of our hands." Yubel replied. "The only thing we can do is hope that it all works out for the best somehow. In the meantime, we have some dangerous cards to find."

"…I guess you're right." Jaden responded. "But let's work on finding those cards tomorrow. I don't really feel up to it today."

"Whatever you say Jaden." Yubel replied, and Jaden started walking back to the headmistress's mansion.

* * *

><p>About one passed since the incident at Shizuma's villa. Jaden continued his search for the Wicked Gods, though it was somewhat halfhearted. He knew that finding the cards was important, but he couldn't really focus on them. He was too worried about Nagisa. Chikaru, Kizuna, Remon, and Kagome were the same way, for Nagisa was their friend too. Outwardly, Nagisa seemed like her usual enthusiastic and cheerful self, but they all had to wonder if it was just an act. That afternoon, Jaden and the God Hunter Club were passing by Miator, talking about where they should search next, when they suddenly came across Nagisa.<p>

"Oh, hi guys!" Nagisa greeted in an enthusiastic tone that seemed somewhat insincere. "What are all of you doing here?"

"Hi Nagisa." Jaden greeted back. "We're just passing through. How've you been?"

"Just great!" Nigisa replied with a grin. "Well, I better get going. I have a lot to do today. See you guys later!"

With that, Nagisa ran off. Jaden and the others looked on with worried expressions.

"She seemed okay." Kizuna said, trying to be positive.

"She did seem okay, but I don't think that she is." Jaden replied.

A moment later, Tamao walked by, and Jaden decided to take the opportunity to ask the blue haired girl how she thought Nagisa was doing.

"Hey, Tamao!" Jaden called out as he ran up to Tamao. Chikaru and the others were close behind. "You got a minute?"

"Oh, hello Jaden." Tamao greeted back. "Actually, I'm busy looking for Nagisa."

"We just saw her." Chikaru told Tamao. "Though we don't know where she was going."

"I see…" Tamao replied with a worried expression.

"How has Nagisa been doing?" Jaden asked.

"Well, she seems happy, but I don't know." Tamao replied. "Lately, she's been throwing herself into her studies. She's also been challenging every Spica student she sees to a duel, and a few Miator and Lilum students as well."

"This isn't good." Yubel said as she suddenly appeared behind Jaden.

"I'm actually very worried." Tamao continued. "I mean, she acts like there's nothing wrong, but I can't believe that after what Shizuma did to her."

Jaden silently agreed. Chikaru nodded at the statement. Kizuna and Remon weren't entirely sure what to think. There were only two people there who knew for sure that Nagisa was putting on an act. One of them was Yubel. The other was Kagome, though she said nothing. Kagome was usually silent however. The few times that she did speak, it was to claim that her teddy bear, Percival, had told her something. Aside from also being able to see Duel Monster spirits and other supernatural phenomenon, Kagome also had an insight into people as well.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Nagisa was leaving the Miator cafeteria. She had stayed there to do some homework and lost all track of time. On her way out, Nagisa glanced over at the piano in the corner of the room, and remembered the few times that she and Shizuma had played it together. It seemed that almost everything reminded her of Shizuma. She had to forget those times though. It was clear to Nagisa that Shizuma never loved her. All she wanted was a replacement for Kaori, and Nagisa just couldn't be that. Nagisa shook the memory from her mind and continued out of the room. Just as she was leaving though, Nagisa felt a tug on her arm. She turned and saw that it was Kagome, holding her bear as usual.<p>

"Oh, hello Kagome." Nagisa greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"…Percival says that you're really sad." Kagome replied.

"What're you talking about? I'm fine." Nagisa insisted. Kagome only looked at Nagisa with her usual expressionless face. "Really I'm…"

Nagisa couldn't finish her sentence though. She couldn't hold it in any longer. Nagisa suddenly broke down and fell to her knees crying. A moment later, Tamao came into the room looking for Nagisa. Once she found her, Tamao managed to calm Nagisa down enough to take her back to their room. Once there, Tamao helped Nagisa get changed for bed.

* * *

><p>The next day, Chikaru had called an emergency meeting of sorts in the classroom that was usually used by the God Hunter Club. Along with Kizuna, Remon, and Kagome, Hikari, Yaya, and Tsubomi were there too. Tamao was also there of course, and so was Chiyo Tsukidate, a shy Miator first-year student that Nagisa and Tamao had befriended at the beginning of the year. All of them were sitting around the room informally, and had gathered to discuss how they could help Nagisa.<p>

"Mind if I join this meeting?" a voice from the doorway asked. Everyone looked to see that it was Jaden.

"You're more than welcome to join us." Chikaru replied. "Nagisa is your friend too."

Jaden entered the room and took a seat between Tsubomi and Tamao. At that point, the meeting resumed.

"Okay, we need to come up with something that will cheer up Nagisa." Chikaru continued. "Any suggestions?"

The room was silent for a moment. After all, it was hard to come up with something that could cheer up someone with a broken heart.

"Um, I have an idea." Chiyo said nervously, breaking the silence. All eyes were suddenly on the girl with short navy-blue hair. "Nagisa really likes sweets, so why don't we make her all of her favorite desserts?"

There was a pause over the room for a moment. Chiyo started to think that her suggestion was a bad one.

"That's a pretty good idea." Yaya said, breaking the silence.

"I agree!" Tsubomi added enthusiastically.

The rest of the room was also in agreement and all of them, including Jaden, set to work on making Nagisa her favorite sweets. By the end of the day, they had made two cakes, several cookies, and a few brownies. That night, all of them, except for Jaden as he wasn't really allowed, all went to Nagisa's room. Nagisa hadn't felt up to attending classes that day, understandably due to exhaustion. Though despite her lack of energy and depressed mode, Nagisa was happy to see her friends, and she did eat a few of the treats that they had made for her. After awhile, everyone except for Tamao had left, and Nagisa once again started to cry.

"What is it?" a concerned Tamao asked.

"I wish I never came here!" Nagisa tearfully answered. "If I hadn't started attending Miator, I never would've met Shizuma and had my heart broken."

Tamao looked at the sobbing redhead before her for a moment, then smiled as she came up with an idea that might cheer her up.

"Let me tell you a story." Tamao began. "Once upon a time, there was a girl here at Miator who was usually all alone. Every year she wanted a roommate, but never got one. Then one day a new girl transferred to the school, a very cute and energetic redhead. And that girl became the roommate that the lonely girl had been wishing for. From that moment on, the lonely girl had found happiness."

"Tamao… are you that girl in the story?" Nagisa asked. Tamao smiled and nodded.

"I know that you've had your heart broken by Shizuma, but I'm very happy that you came here." Tamao added. Nagisa broke down again and hugged Tamao.

* * *

><p>Back at the head mistress's mansion, Jaden was looking out the window of his guestroom thoughtfully. He glanced over at a mirror hanging on the wall to his right and saw Yubel in place of his own reflection. The Duel Monster had a troubled expression on her face.<p>

"What's bugging you?" Jaden asked as he turned to the mirror.

"Am I being that obvious?" Yubel asked, turning in the mirror to face Jaden.

"You usually don't appear in the mirror like that unless something's bothering you." Jaden replied.

"I'm a little worried about something." Yubel responded.

"About Nagisa?" Jaden asked.

"Partly…" Yubel answered. "What I'm worried about most is what might happen if Nagisa finds one of the Wicked Gods. She's suffering from a bad breakup, and if she finds one of those cards, she might go into a rage and destroy everything and everyone around her."

"You think it'd be that bad?" Jaden asked, shocked by Yubel's theory.

"Look at how I acted when you rejected me." Yubel replied. "I know that our relationship is a bit different, but I kind of know where Nagisa is at right now."

Jaden looked back out the window and thought about what Yubel had said. It had never occurred to him that one of his friends on the island might come across one of the Wicked Gods, or how the cards might corrupt them. It made finding the cards much more urgent.

* * *

><p>A little later that night, back in Nagisa and Tamao's room, Nagisa had fallen asleep. Tamao was getting ready to go to bed herself. She looked over at her sleeping roommate, quietly walked over to her bed, and kneeled down beside it.<p>

"There's something else I wanted to tell you tonight my Nagisa." Tamao whispered. "I… love you."

* * *

><p>A couple of days passed since Nagisa's breakdown over losing Shizuma. She was in better spirits, but still not quite up to attending classes. Jaden was trying to put more effort into finding the Wicked Gods. Partly because of what Yubel had told him about what might happen if someone like Nagisa were to find one of the Wicked Gods. Jaden had not only become worried about Nagisa finding one of the Wicked Gods, but also about his other friends on Astraea Island finding them.<p>

Still, Jaden could not get the problem of Nagisa and Shizuma off of his mind. He wanted to do something to help at least one of them. Sure he helped to bake those treats for Nagisa, but that didn't quite seem enough. Especially since cooking wasn't his best skill. As Jaden walked past the Strawberry Dorms, Winged Kuriboh suddenly appeared before him. The Duel Monster Spirit sometimes appeared before him to tell him of some supernatural occurrence. Not that Winged Kuriboh could speak, but the little fur ball often led Jaden to spots where it sensed some kind of disturbance.

"What's up buddy?" Jaden asked his little winged friend. Winged Kuriboh took off like a rocket, causing Jaden to chase after it. "Hey, wait up!"

Winged Kuriboh led Jaden to the Strawberry Dorms. Though he wasn't exactly allowed into the building, Jaden decided that if Winged Kuriboh was leading him in there, it had to be important. The little Duel Monster stopped in front of a room on the second floor.

"You want me to go in there?" Jaden asked.

"Kuri, Kuri!" Winged Kuriboh responded. Jaden took that answer as a yes.

Jaden tried the knob of the door and found that it was unlocked. He opened the door and found that it was vacant. It looked like it had been vacant for years, yet it looked like it was regularly taken care of, as if it were some sort of shrine. Jaden had a feeling that he knew who the room once belonged to. Once he stepped inside, the door closed behind him. Suddenly, an apparition in the form of a young girl appeared sitting on the bed. Jaden knew that it was a ghost. After all, it wasn't the first one he had seen.

The spirit in question was wearing a Miator uniform without the duel disk. She had pale white skin, which made her seem even more transparent, and short black hair that had a large pink bow on the back. A sad expression was on the dead girl's face. Jaden recognized the spirit immediately from a picture that he had seen.

"Are you Kaori?" Jaden asked the spirit. The transparent girl looked at Jaden in surprise.

"You can see me?" Kaori asked.

"I can see a lot of stuff like you." Jaden answered. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm worried about someone." Kaori replied sadly.

"Is that person Shizuma?" Jaden asked.

"You know her?" Kaori asked with a hint of hope in her voice.

"I know her a little." Jaden replied. "I'm kind of worried about her too."

"She's sad because I died." Kaori said sadly. "I don't want her to be sad though. I want her to find happiness, even if it's with someone else. I even left her a letter telling her that. She hasn't found it though, and I won't be able to rest until she does."

"Where is this letter?" Jaden asked.

"It's in the top drawer of the dresser, inside of a box that has a red pendant in it." Kaori answered.

Jaden walked over to the dresser and opened the top drawer. Inside he found a large box with a glass lid. It prominently displayed the red pendant that Kaori received when she and Shizuma became Etoile. Jaden opened the box, and under the piece of white board that held the pendant in place he found an envelope with Shizuma's name on it.

"Is this it?" Jaden asked as he held up the letter.

"Yes, that's the letter!" Kaori exclaimed happily.

"Don't worry, I promise that I'll get this to Shizuma." Jaden said reassuringly.

"Thank you." Kaori said with a smile as she turned into sparkling golden lights and faded away.

As if on cue, the door suddenly opened, and Shizuma was standing in the doorway with a look of shock, confusion, and anger on her face.

"What… how…?" was all that Shizuma could manage to say.

"Don't worry. I was just leaving." Jaden cut in. "I just want to give you something before I go though. This is something that Kaori wanted you to have."

Jaden walked over to Shizuma and held out the letter to her. Still shocked and confused, Shizuma took the letter. Once the object was in the silver haired girl's possession, Jaden walked out of the room. He stopped a few feet out to say one last thing however.

"It's past time that you started living again Shizuma." Jaden said without facing the silver haired girl. With those words, Jaden walked away, leaving Shizuma alone.

Outside of the Stawberry dorms, Jaden walked with a sense of satisfaction.

"That was unexpected." Yubel said as she appeared next to Jaden. "Maybe you were able to help Shizuma a little after all."

"Do you think that letter will help Shizuma to move on?" Jaden asked.

"I have a feeling that it might." Yubel answered with a wry expression. "At the very least, you were able to help that poor dead girl move on to the next life."

"I guess I did." Jaden said with a satisfied smile. "C'mon, we have cards to find."

* * *

><p>Back inside Kaori's old room, Shizuma looked at the closed letter with confusion. She wondered if it really was a letter from Kaori. Shizuma looked over at the dresser. The display case for Kaori's Etoile pendant was not only opened but also taken apart. Shizuma figured that the letter was probably in the case. Even more perplexing was how Jaden could've gotten into the room. Both Shizuma and Miyuki always made sure that the door was locked. Miyuki eventually arrived and walked into the room.<p>

"Shizuma, we were supposed to start packing up Kaori's things. We can no longer keep this room closed." Miyuki sternly reminded her friend. "What is that envelope?"

"Apparently, it's a letter from Kaori." Shizuma replied.

"A letter from Kaori?" a stunned Miyuki asked. "Where did you find it?"

"I didn't find it." Shizuma replied. "Jaden Yuki found it inside the case where Kaori's pendant is kept."

"Mr. Yuki? How on Earth did he get in here?" Miyuki asked sounding even more stunned. "Well, I guess that isn't important. Aren't you going to open it?"

Shizuma sighed a little. It was time that she took a look at what the letter had to say, though she was nervous to find out. Carefully, Shizuma opened the sealed envelope and took out the letter. She decided to read it out loud so Miyuki could also hear.

_'My dearest Shizuma. By the time you find this letter, I will be gone from this world. I want you to know that I do not regret anything. You made my last days on this earth the happiest days of my life, and I would not change any of it. As I think of you, I think of the flowers in the Etoile greenhouse that we loved taking care of. I am like those flowers, too fragile to survive in the outside world. You are different though my precious Shizuma. You are strong and can thrive in that world, and that is what I want you to do. I want you to move on with your life and find happiness. And if you find someone to share that happiness with, then you will also make me happy wherever I am. Forever yours, Kaori.'_

Shizuma was greatly touched by the letter that Kaori had left. A tear rolled down Shizuma's cheek. Miyuki was sobbing next to her. It seemed that Shizuma wasn't the only one touched by the letter.

"You're still a crybaby Miyuki, even after all these years" Shizuma said with a half smile.

Shizuma put the letter back in the envelope, thinking about what it said. She also thought about what Jaden had said to her before he left. Shizuma realized that after Kaori had died, she had started pushing everyone away, even those closest to her, like Miyuki. She had shut herself away, clinging on to Kaori's memory, and Kaori wouldn't want her to do that for the rest of her life. Kaori wanted her to be happy, not lonely and miserable.

"Miyuki, I want you to know that I think of you as my closest friend." Shizuma said to the girl who had just finished sobbing. "I'm sorry if I've pushed you away."

"Don't worry, I understand why you did." Miyuki said with a tearful smile.

* * *

><p>Later that night, out near a forest on the outskirts of Spica territory, Amane was having a ride on her horse to clear her thoughts. Over the past few months, Amane had been growing closer to Hikari, but she was a little confused about her feelings for the blond girl. Amane wasn't sure if she was feeling love or something else. All she knew was that she couldn't get Hikari off of her mind. Amane suddenly stopped riding and looked around. She felt as if something was calling to her.<p>

Right near the spot where Amane had stopped was an old abandoned church. Amane thought that it was probably built before the three academies. She felt that whatever was calling to her was in the church, so she dismounted her horse and went to investigate. The inside of the church was covered by years of dust and cobwebs. Some of the floorboards had rotted with age and gained holes. Amane felt that whatever was calling to her was at the head of the church. She went behind the church alter and found a small chest painted in the Spica school colors. The latch on the chest was cracked, and almost looked as if something had punched it. Suddenly, Amane heard a voice speaking to her.

_'Open this chest.'_ The voice said in a deep, almost demonic tone. _'Open it and you shall gain the power to crush all who oppose you and to take what you desire.'_

Almost hypnotically, Amane opened the chest and found a card inside. It was a monster card that depicted a muscular green demon. The name of the card was, "The Wicked Dreadroot." Amane picked up the card, and she was suddenly overcome by an intense headache. It felt like her head was going to split open. The feeling passed though, and suddenly Amane felt invigorated. More than invigorated actually, she felt invincible.

It was at that point that Amane realized what she most desired. She wanted Hikari, that beautiful blond angel. Amane wanted to completely possess her, and she would do whatever it took to have her, destroy anyone who would stand in her way. Amane didn't want to stop there though. She wanted to prove her strength by crushing everyone on the island. They called her a prince, but Amane would see to it that by the time she was finished, they would call her a king.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Well, sorry for the long chapter. Though I do think that a lot of this stuff is important to the story. This chapter is of course based on three episodes of the Strawberry Panic anime. Although the thing with Kaori's ghost is something I made up to get Jaden a little more involved in the story. Next chapter things definitely start to pick up.

Review and let me know what you think.


	15. Dark Prince

**Author's Note:** I thought I'd go ahead and add the next chapter since I don't have anything better to do at the moment.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

* * *

><p>Chapter 15: Dark Prince<p>

It had been about a week since Jaden had met Kaori's ghost in the Strawberry Dorms. Things on the island had been quiet after that incident, but there was one bit of gossip that the students of all three academies had been talking about. It seemed that Amane, Spica's prince and the favorite to win the Etoile Tournament, had disappeared. Rumors about what happened to Amane spread like wildfire. Some thought that she had dropped out of the academy in secret because she got tired of being pressured to enter the tournament. Others thought that Amane was on the outskirts of the island training for the tournament in secret. The most outrageous rumor though was that Amane was in some sort of accident on her horse and was unconscious out in the woods somewhere. That was a rumor that had greatly worried Hikari.

As many rumors as there were however, nobody knew the truth. Whatever the truth was though, Jaden wanted to find out. Even though the two didn't really socialize with each other that much, Jaden considered Amane a friend and a good rival. He wanted to know what happened to her. So that afternoon, Jaden went off to find Amane. Chikaru, Kizuna, Remon, and Kagome went with him. Since they didn't know where else to start looking, they decided to try looking out by the Spica stables first. Hikari had mentioned to them all once that Amane would often spend a lot of time out there. On their way to the stables however, Jaden and the others saw Tsubomi running towards them with a frightened expression on her face.

"Jaden, come quick! You have to help!" Tsubomi called out.

"What's the matter Tsubomi?" Jaden asked in a worried tone.

"It's Yaya. She's… she's…" Tsubomi was having trouble finishing her sentence. Tears were welling up in her eyes.

"Is Yaya in trouble?" Jaden asked sounding more concerned. Tsubomi nodded. "Where is she?"

Tsubomi started to lead Jaden to where Yaya was. Chikaru and the other three girls quickly followed after them. Jaden and the others were led into the small forest near the stables. There they found Yaya, laying on the ground unconscious. What was even more surprising however was that Kaname and Momomi were also there in the same condition, laying on the ground not far from where Yaya was. Jaden and the others tried in to wake Yaya, but their efforts were in vein.

"Don't waste your time." A voice suddenly said. "She won't be getting back up. Serves her right for getting in my way."

The group looked around and saw that the voice had come from Amane. She was leaning against a nearby tree with her arms crossed. On the surface, the woman prince looked normal, wearing her usual Spica uniform. A smile was on Amane's face, but there was something sinister about it. Jaden took a good look at Amane, and felt the same sense of danger that he had felt from Chikaru when The Wicked Eraser was corrupting her. Lying on the ground near Amane was Hikari. The blond girl was still conscious, but her face had a frightened expression and was streaked with tears.

"What's going on here Amane?" Jaden asked as he narrowed his eyes on the woman prince. "What happened to Yaya and the others?"

"It's like I said, they got in my way." Amane answered with a sinister smile.

"What do you mean?" Jaden asked.

"It's quite simple." Amane replied as she stepped forward. "They all tried to take Hikari. They made a mistake though, because she's mine!"

At that point Amane forcefully grabbed Hikari by the arm. Hikari cried out from the pain of Amane's tight grip.

"Put Hikari down!" Jaden demanded.

"I suppose you want Hikari for yourself too Jaden." Amane responded, still holing a firm grip on Hikari. "I don't blame you really. After all, who could resist such a pretty girl? But only I can posses her though!"

"I said put her down!" Jaden demanded again with more force.

"Fine, I can see that I'm going to have to teach you the same lesson that I taught those other three." Amane said as she threw Hikari to the ground and activated her duel disk.

"Jaden, Amane has one of the Wicked Gods, doesn't she?" Chikaru asked in a fearful tone. Jaden didn't answer her. He didn't have to; they both knew that Chikaru's theory was right.

"Chikaru, you and the others look after Yaya and the other two." Jaden commanded. Chikaru and the others nodded. Jaden stepped forward and activated his duel disk. "You want to duel, fine with me."

The life points of both duelists were set to 4000, and the duel began.

"I'll start things off!" Jaden announced as he drew his first card. "I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in Defense Mode and end my turn!"

Jaden's stone armored hero appeared on Jaden's side of the field in a crouched position.

"So you're starting out with that pathetic defense again, I see." Amane taunted as she drew her first card. "I activate the Spell card, Zera Ritual! I tribute Archfiend Soldier and Dark Crusader from my hand to summon Zera the Mant!"

Appearing on the field was a warrior sitting on a dark throne. Jaden recognized the monster on the throne as Warrior of Zera, Amane's favorite monster. In front of the throne were two other monsters. One was a demon wearing a green cape and grey armor, and the other was a warrior wearing black armor, a red cape, and a white skull mask. Two beams of yellow light shot from the Warrior of Zera's eyes and vaporized the other two monsters. At that point, black energy erupted from the throne that Zera was sitting on. The energy cleared, and Zera had transformed into a large blue demon with a dragonhead and large claws. A red cape was on the demon's back.

"That thing has 2800 ATK!" Remon exclaimed.

"Zera, slaughter Clayman!" Amane commanded. "Demon Dragon Claw!"

The demon dragon slashed Jaden's hero to pieces.

"I'll set one card on the field and end my turn!" Amane announced.

Jaden was filled with concern as he drew his next card. For one thing, Amane was using one of the darker forms of Warrior of Zera, which indicated to Jaden that her state of mind was in a dark place. What Jaden was even more concerned about however was the Wicked God that he knew was waiting in Amane's deck. He decided that he needed to end the duel quickly.

"First I activate the Field Spell, Skyscraper!" Jaden announced.

The forest around them transformed into a large city at night, colossal buildings towered above them.

"Next I summon Elemental Hero Captain Gold in Attack Mode!" Jaden announced.

Appearing on one of the tall buildings was a warrior in gold armor and a flowing red cape.

"Attack Mode? Are you serious?" Amane laughed. "Your little Hero only has 2100 ATK, it's too weak to take on Zera."

"True, but with Skyscraper on the field, any Elemental Hero monster that attacks a monster with higher ATK, it gains 1000 extra ATK during a battle!" Jaden explained. "Captian Gold, attack Zera with Skyscraper Kick!"

The golden hero leapt off of his high perch and delivered a devastating flying kick to Zera, completely destroying the demon. The strike had reduced Amane's life points from 4000 to 3700.

"I activate my facedown card, Fires of Doomsday!" Amane announced. "This lets me summon two Doomsday Tokens to my side of the field!"

Two small one-eyed demons made of black flames appeared on the field.

"Why are you doing this Amane?" Jaden demanded.

"To take what is mine!" the woman prince answered with an insane grin. "I will possess Hikari as my own and crush anyone who will get in my way! I don't care who they are!"

"Even if they're Hikari's friends?" Jaden asked.

"Are you talking about that tramp Yaya?" Amane asked sounding rather amused. "She too desired Hikari for herself. Even if she didn't though, I would still destroy her. I won't let anyone else get close to Hikari! I will lock her away to keep her all to myself!"

"How does Hikari feel about that?" Jaden asked.

"I don't care about that." Amane cruelly replied. "All I care about is possessing her! She is MY woman!"

Jaden looked over at Hikari and saw that tears were welling up in the blond girls eyes.

"Hikari, don't listen to Amane right now!" Jaden called out, getting Hikari's attention. "Right now she's under the influence of a very dark power that's messing with her mind! I swear to you though, I will bring Amane back to her old self!"

Hikari stopped crying and looked at Jaden with eyes of hope. She wondered if Jaden really could bring the Amane that she loved back.

"Shut up!" Amane cut in. "I've had enough of this talking! Now are you going to do anything else or can I go now?"

"…I end my turn!" Jaden announced somewhat reluctantly.

As soon as Amane drew her next card, her sinister smile grew even wider. A short maniacal laugh escaped her lips. Jaden knew that it could only mean one thing; Amane had drawn her God card.

"First I activate Fulfillment of the Contract!" Amane announced. "By paying 800 life points I can Special Summon Zera the Mant from the Graveyard!"

As soon as Amane's life points dropped to 2900, Zera the Mant reappeared. Amane had three monsters on the field, which Jaden knew to mean that the second Wicked God was about to appear.

"Prepare yourself for my ultimate power!" Amane proclaimed. "I tribute Zera the Mant and my two Doomsday Tokens to summon The Wicked Dreadroot!"

Amane's three monsters shattered and a pillar of purple light appeared in their place. The sky above became covered in thick dark clouds. The light finally vanished, revealing a giant muscular humanoid demon with green skin and massive wings framed by what looked like white bone. Bone like armor that was the same white color ran up the sides of the demon's arms and over its shoulders. On its head it wore a helmet made from a demonic animal with curved horns. Amane began to laugh maniacally upon the appearance of the creature. Jaden found that he was filled with a sense of fear upon seeing The Wicked Dreadroot. Although who wouldn't be intimidated by a creature like a Wicked God? Still, Jaden felt that there was more to it somehow.

"T-that's the creature that Amane used to beat Yaya!" Tsubomi stammered.

"Behold, my ultimate power!" Amane proclaimed. "With this card, I will crush all who would take what is rightfully mine! And I will use this card's power to become the strongest duelist in the world!"

* * *

><p>Well, I'll leave off there for now.<p>

Review and let me know what you think.


	16. God of Fear

**Author's Note:** I am working on another story right now, but I'm kind of waiting for someone to review the latest chapter of it before I proceed further. Though I probably will go on with it soon anyway, because I want to get done with and get started on the sequel. Plus I didn't want all of you who're reading this story with a cliffhanger for too long. So here's the next chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

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><p>Chapter 16: God of Fear<p>

In the small forest near the Spica stables, Jaden's duel against the corrupted Amane continued. Jaden still had a full amount of 4000 life points along with a strong 2100 ATK point monster, Elemental Hero Captain Gold. Meanwhile Amane, though she had only 2900 life points, had summoned her God card, The Wicked Dreadroot, which had 4000 ATK. The advantage was clearly Amane's. Chikaru, Kizuna, Remon, Tsubomi, and Hikari, were all watching the duel, while Yaya, Kaname, and Momomi were lying unconscious on the ground. It was still Amane's turn.

"Dreadroot, destroy that pathetic hero!" Amane commanded. "Fear's Knockdown!"

The giant green demon god raised his fist and delivered a punch so devastating that the force not only obliterated Captain Gold, but also knocked Jaden himself to the ground. Jaden looked at his duel disk as he got back up and was shocked to see that the attack had reduced his life points to 1050.

"How the heck did I lose so many life points?" Jaden asked in confusion.

"Not only does Dreadroot have 4000 ATK, but it also generates an aura of fear that cuts the ATK and DEF of all other monsters on the field in half." Amane explained.

Jaden took another look at Dreadroot and realized that the sensation of fear that he felt when the Wicked God first appeared was more than just natural fear that he was feeling. The demon seemed to generate some kind of dark power that made all other creatures afraid of it. Fear was the weapon that Dreadroot used. Jaden quickly glanced around to everyone who was watching the duel. It seemed that they too were being affected by Dreadroot's power. They were all trembling and paralyzed with fear. Though Jaden noticed that Chikaru seemed to be resisting the effects of Dreadroot's power a little. Jaden theorized that it was because of her experience with using The Wicked Eraser.

"I'll end my turn and let you squirm in terror!" Amane announced with insane glee. As Jaden drew his next card, he decided to try to appeal to Amane's sanity one more time.

"Amane, no good can come from using the power of The Wicked Dreadroot!" Jaden told the corrupt woman prince. "You'll only end up hurting Hikari and everyone else!"

"Shut up! What do you know of the power that I wield?" Amane shot back.

"Believe me, I know a little something about using dark power." Jaden answered as he remembered the acts he committed as the Supreme King. "I ended up hurting a lot of people, all in the name of obtaining more power. I didn't care about anything else but that."

"Jaden is right!" Chikaru added. "I too know something about using a Wicked God. All I wanted to use its power to get others to treat the students of Lilum seriously as duelists, but all I ended up doing was causing chaos between the three schools and making the very students that I cared about duel till they dropped. I may have even destroyed a friendship that I treasure. You may think that the God card you wield will give you what you desire, but in the end you'll only end up destroying everything you care about!"

"Hmph, you two obviously couldn't handle the powers that you were given." Amane retorted. "I on the other hand am in complete control of the powers that I have. Now get on with the duel!"

Jaden could see that there was no use trying to get through to Amane. The only way to end things was to win the duel. Jaden looked at his hand, there was nothing in it that he could use to take down The Wicked Dreadroot, but at the very least he could put up some sort of defense.

"First I summon Dandylion in Defense Mode!" Jaden announced. The cat faced flower appeared on the field and trembled as soon as it saw Dreadroot. "Next I'll lay down a facedown and end my turn!"

"THAT'S your defense?" Amane laughed as she drew her next card. "A little flower in the shape of a kitty cat? Well, I guess there isn't really much else that you could use as a shield."

"Just make your move!" Jaden shot back. He never liked it when anyone insulted his monsters.

"Fine by me. Dreadroot, crush that little flower!" Amane commanded. "Fear's Knockdown!"

The demon god delivered another devastating punch with his giant fist that shattered Dandylion and knocked Jaden back to the ground.

"When Dandylion is destroyed, it summons two Fluff Tokens in its place!" Jaden announced as two dandelion seeds with faces appeared. Both of them trembled in the presence of Dreadroot. "Because a monster was also destroyed, I activate my Trap, Hero Signal! This lets me summon Elemental Hero Wildheart from my deck!"

Jaden's tan skinned wilderness hero appeared next to the Fluff Tokens. Like them, Wildheart began to tremble with fear in Dreadroot's presence.

"A jungle man and a couple of puffballs. Well, I guess that's a little better than what you had before." Amane said sarcastically. "I end my turn!"

"Jaden, let me help!" Yubel's voice said as Jaden drew his next card. Jaden looked and saw that he had indeed drawn Yubel's card. He knew what his next move had to be, for it was his only way to win.

"First I sacrifice my two Fluff Tokens to summon Yubel in Attack Mode!" Jaden announced.

The two dandelion seed monsters shattered and Jaden's eyes flashed to orange and teal. A long shadow stretched out from Jaden's feet onto the battlefield where the two token monsters once were. From the end of the shadow rose a humanoid demon with eyes glowing in the same colors as Jaden's. A third more demonic looking red eye was on the creature's forehead. The skin on its face, parts of its torso, and the bicep of its right upper arm were bright purple, and its lips were light blue. The rest of its torso, waist, and legs were black, along with most of the skin on its upper arms. The bicep of the creature's left arm, along with its lower arms and legs were brown and scaly. On the back of the creature was a pair of large demonic wings, and it had a head of long shaggy hair. The hair on the right side was grey, while the hair on the left side was dark blue.

"So this is this is the powerful Wicked Dreadroot." Yubel said with a confident smile and arms crossed over her chest. "I guess he looks pretty tough, but I'm not overly impressed."

Amane was quite surprised to hear Yubel speak, as were Tsubomi and Hikari. Chikaru, Kizuna, Remon, and Kagome on the other hand were not surprised at all. After all, they knew about the relationship between Jaden and Yubel.

"Next I activate O-Oversoul and Special Summon Clayman back from the Graveyard in Defense Mode!" Jaden announced. The stone armored hero reappeared on the field. Like all of Jaden's other monsters, except for Yubel, Clayman trembled at the sight of Dreadroot. "I'll lay down a facedown and end my turn, and due to Yubel's effect I have to sacrifice a monster to keep her on the field! So I choose to sacrifice Wildheart!"

Wildheart shattered and vanished from the field. After a moment of looking shocked, Amane suddenly burst into a fit of maniacal laughter.

"How stupid do you think I am?" Amane asked. "I have no clue how you got that monster to talk, but I do know about the card itself. Your precious Yubel may have zero ATK, but if I attack it with Dreadroot, not only will it not be destroyed; I'd take the damage instead of you! You're a fool to think that such an obvious trick would work on me!"

Jaden didn't react to what Amane had just said. He just waited for her next move. Amane looked at the card she had drawn and her insane grin grew wider.

"This duel ends now!" Amane proclaimed. "I equip Dreadroot with Fairy Meteor Crush! Now when Dreadroot attacks a monster in Defense Mode, my opponent takes battle damage equal the difference between Dreadroot's ATK and the destroyed monsters DEF!"

"It's all over!" Kizuna exclaimed. Hikari, Tsubomi, and Remon all turned their heads away from the duel. They couldn't bear to watch Jaden lose and end up like Yaya and the other two. Jaden remained calm, however.

"Dreadroot, crush Clayman into dust!" Amane commanded. "Fear's Knockdown!"

Dreadroot raised his fist to destroy Clayman. At that point Jaden reacted.

"I activate my Trap, Staunch Defender!" Jaden announced. "When my opponent declares an attack, I can change the attack target to another monster, and the attack target I'm selecting is Yubel!"

Yubel chuckled as she began to glow with an aura of dark energy. Dreadroot's fist suddenly changed course and impacted Yubel. The Duel Monster screamed in pain, yet there was an expression of ecstasy on her face. The demon god pulled back his fist and Yubel was still standing. An expression of utter shock appeared on Amane's face. She could not believe what had just happened.

"Thanks, that felt great!" Yubel said to Amane as she straightened up, popping a few of her bones back into place in the process. Yubel looked at Amane with a deranged expression. "Let me return the favor."

A vine with thorns suddenly shot up from the ground and stabbed Amane through the chest. Her life points dropped to zero in an instant. Dreadroot, Yubel, and all the other monsters on the field vanished, and the area around the two duelists and their audience turned back into the small forest that they had originally entered. Amane fell to the ground unconscious. Just as Jaden was about to go over and check on Amane, a smoke bomb went of, startling everyone. As the smoke started to clear a little, Jaden saw the same masked woman in black that had stolen The Wicked Eraser. He could also make out that she was holding The Wicked Dreadroot in her hand.

"Who are you, and why are you taking the Wicked Gods?" Jaden demanded.

"That is still none of your concern!" the woman in black answered. "I will tell you however that you may end up thanking me later."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jaden asked.

The masked woman merely responded by throwing another smoke bomb, thickening the cloud of smoke that was already present. By the time smoke finally cleared, the masked woman in black was gone, and so was the second Wicked God card.

* * *

><p>Back at the Spica infirmary, Yaya, Kaname, and Momomi had regained consciousness, though Yaya had complained that she felt like a truck had hit her. Amane on the other hand still remained in a coma, although the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with her physically. Jaden theorized that the shock from Yubel's effect, combined with the rather toxic influence of The Wicked Dreadroot, was too much for Amane's mind to handle. A worried Hikari stayed by Amane's bedside. A bit later, Shion had showed up to see what had happened to her best hope of Spica winning the Etoile Tournament. It was at that point that Jaden decided that his friends from Spica had a right to know about the Wicked Gods. Shion was also there when he told the tale.<p>

"So, one of these cards is the reason why Amane is now in a coma?" Shion asked Jaden with a tone of skepticism. Jaden nodded to her question. "And you're saying that Chikaru also had one of these cards, and that was why she had been acting so strange a few months ago."

"Yeah, but she's fine now." Jaden answered. "She also regrets a lot of the stuff that she did during that time."

Shion, who seemed to believe Jaden's story, walked over to Chikaru. The raven-haired president of Lilum's student council had a sad look on her face.

"I guess this explains why you weren't acting like the Chikaru I remember all those months ago." Shion said to Chikaru with a gentle smile. "What I want know now though is why you've been avoiding me. We don't see each other much outside of the student council meetings these days."

"I was afraid that… I had destroyed our friendship." Chikaru answered still looking down in shame. "After all, I had given you every reason for you to hate me with some of the things I did."

"I could never hate my oldest friend." Shion said as she put her hand on Chikaru's shoulder. "Besides, from the story that Mr. Yuki just told us, it sounds like you weren't really responsible for your actions. So cheer up already."

Chikaru looked back up at Shion with a warm smile. Jaden, meanwhile, looked back at Amane, who was lying unconscious in the infirmary bed hocked up to an IV. He decided that he needed to leave the room for a moment. Once out in the hallway, Jaden hit the wall with his fist in frustration. Not only had he let another one of the Wicked Gods fall into the hands of the enemy, but Amane had also been hurt.

"I'm sorry about what happened." Yubel said as she appeared next to Jaden. "It's my fault I guess. I got a little carried away in that duel."

"It wasn't your fault." Jaden said to his Duel Monster partner. "It was mine. I should've been looking harder for the Wicked Gods. If I did than maybe Amane wouldn't lying in that bed in a coma, and Hikari wouldn't be so sad."

"…Well, there's no point in beating ourselves up for what happened or wondering what would've happened if we did things differently." Yubel sighed. "What we have to focus on now is focus on finding that last Wicked God card before anyone else does."

"…You're right." Jaden said to Yubel with newfound determination in his voice. "We have to get that card, or else one of our other friends might get hurt!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile in the secluded mansion on the outskirts of Miator ground, the man known as Tenma was reading a book about South America. His concentration was broken when his female servant entered the room.<p>

"What have you to report?" Tenma asked as he put down his book.

"I have the second card." The henchwoman reported as she presented Tenma with The Wicked Dreadroot. A sinister grin appeared on Tenma's face when he saw the card.

"At last I am one step closer!" Tenma exclaimed as he walked over and took the card from the girl in black. "Wherever did you find it?"

"It was in the possession of Amane Ohtori." The henchwoman replied. "Jaden Yuki defeated her in a duel however, and I took the opportunity to take the card after it was over."

"I see." Tenma replied as he put Dreadroot in his pocket with The Wicked Eraser and one other card. "How is Spica's favorite prince?"

"The duel seems to have left her in a coma." The henchwoman replied.

"Well, you must be happy about that." Tenma said with a wry expression. "With Ms. Ohtori in a coma, Spica has no chance of winning the Etoile Tournament."

"There is a chance that she might recover." The henchwoman replied.

"That's an odd statement coming from you." Tenma commented. "I've worked with you long enough to know that you're a pessimist. Than again if Ms. Ohtori were to recover, that would mean that Spica would once again have a strong chance of winning the tournament. You always seem to expect the worst."

The henchwoman didn't react to Tenma's statement.

"In any case, we still have one more card to find." Tenma continued. "And it is the key card we will need if you are to obtain what you desire."

"Are you certain that this procedure of yours will work?" the henchwoman asked.

"All I'll need aside from The Wicked Gods are the girl's deck, a suitable host body, and a sophisticated computer." Tenma replied.

"I can get the deck, but how will we get the other items you need?" the henchwoman asked.

"You just leave all of that to me." Tenma replied with a sinister grin.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> In the Strawberry Panic anime, there was a part where Amane fell off her horse, hit her head, and lost her memory of the past few months. That of course included her memories of Hikari. Well, I'm not a fan of amnesia stories, especially in a love story (so it's a good bet that I won't be seeing that move _The Vow_ anytime soon). So in this story I just had Amane end up in what is essentially a Shadow Game induced coma. It's just as dramatic and not as cheesy. Or at least I think it is. I also put in a few hints as to who the mystery woman helping Tenma is.

Review and let me know what you think.


	17. Decisions

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

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><p>Chapter 17: Decisions<p>

It had been three days since Amane went into her coma. The doctors could not tell if and when she would wake up. Hikari began spending every spare moment that she had by Amane's bedside. She would stay until a little past the visiting hours at the infirmary had ended, at which point Yaya would come to get her. There was talk among the doctors about transferring Amane to an actual hospital off the island. Things were looking rather grim on the island, both for Hikari and for Jaden. Not only was one of Jaden's friends and strongest rivals in a coma, but also he had lost two of the Wicked Gods to the enemy. Plus Jaden was still concerned about Shizuma and Nagisa. He knew that there wasn't much he could do to help with their relationship, but he wanted to do something.

Jaden was no expert in love, though he was a little surprised that Yubel seemed to be, considering her previous twisted interpretation of what love was. One thing was clear to Jaden however, Nagisa was still in love with Shizuma, and Shizuma obviously had feelings for Nagisa. Whether those feelings were love, Jaden could only guess, but he believed that whatever they were, they were real. Shizuma just hadn't fully dealt with them because she was still clinging to Kaori's memory. Jaden hoped that had changed though. He had not run into Shizuma since the day that he had found that letter of Kaori's, so he had no idea how the mysterious silver haired Etoile of Miator was doing. For Nagisa's sake, Jaden hoped that Shizuma had figured out her feelings for the redhead.

That afternoon three days after the incident with Amane, Jaden walked down the stairs of the head mistress's mansion preparing to go scout around for the last Wicked God card. Just as he was about to leave, Jaden glanced over and noticed Pegasus sitting in the main room of the mansion sipping a glass of red wine. A gloomy expression was on the face of the card creator. Jaden decided to see what was troubling him.

"Hi Mr. Pegasus." Jaden greeted as he walked into the room.

"Oh, hello Jaden my boy!" Pegasus greeted when he noticed Jaden enter the room. "I didn't quite expect to see you today."

"Well I was on my way out and I noticed that you looked a little down. So I came to ask what was bothering you." Jaden explained.

"That's very kind of you." Pegasus replied. "Please, have a seat."

Jaden sat down in the chair that was facing Pegasus.

"Since you asked, I'm troubled because I still haven't been able to finish the card I've been working on to destroy the Wicked Gods." Pegasus explained. "The riddle of that text on the stone tablet still eludes me, and I fear that I've run out of time now that the enemy has two of the cards."

"That's my fault." Jaden said glumly. "I should've tried harder to look for those cards."

"Don't blame yourself my dear boy." Pegasus said reassuringly. "I'm starting to think that perhaps those cards don't want us to find them."

"Why do you say that?" Jaden asked sounding a little surprised.

"These aren't exactly normal cards that we're trying to find." Pegasus answered. "They have a sort of evil will behind them. I wouldn't be surprised if the cards were hiding themselves from us, only to let those who they would think would be a good wielder for them find them."

"So you're saying that my search might've been pointless?" Jaden asked sounding surprised.

"I think that it might have been." Pegasus replied glumly. "It could also be that the reason that we haven't found the enemy who's been after the cards is because they've simply been lying in wait for the ones who the cards would choose to find them."

"Does that mean that we have to wait for some innocent student to find the third card?" Jaden asked.

"I'm afraid so." Pegasus replied. There was brief pause after that as Jaden soaked in Pegasus's theory. After a moment, Pegasus spoke again. "Tell me, how is that girl who wielded The Wicked Dreadroot?"

"Still no change." Jaden said sadly.

"I see…" Pegasus replied. "I'm sorry that she got caught up in all of this. She's a friend of yours isn't she?"

"Yeah," Jaden replied, "and one of the best duelists I've ever met."

* * *

><p>Later that afternoon out in front of Miator, Nagisa was sitting on a bench in deep thought. Once again her mind was on Shizuma. Nagisa still loved the silver haired beauty, and it hurt that Shizuma didn't love her back. There were many times that Nagisa wanted to go and find Shizuma, to talk to her, but she knew that it would only cause her more pain. It would do no good to chase after someone who would never love her. Nagisa's thoughts were interrupted when Tamao arrived, and she was surprised to see that Miyuki was with her.<p>

"We've been looking for you Ms. Aoi." Miyuki said in her usual serious tone.

"Is there some kind of problem?" Nagisa asked sounding nervous.

"Ms. Miyuki has entered the two of us in the Etoile Tournament." Tamao answered cheerfully.

"She what?" Nagisa asked as she stood up in surprise.

"I'm sorry for not asking for your permission, but I felt that it was necessary." Miyuki answered. "Even with Amane Ohtori in a coma, there is still a good chance that Spica will win the tournament. You and Ms. Suzumi are the best hope that we have."

"But… Tamao and are just friends." Nagisa responded. "She and I can't be the Etoile. We're not a real couple."

"We have no other choice." Miyuki said sternly. "This year, both Shizuma and I will be graduating. As the student council president of Miator, it is my duty to make sure that our academy wins the tournament. I also wish to make certain that you are able to move on and put what happened with Shizuma behind you. To me this is the best option to do both."

"I can't." Nagisa said as she shook her head. "It's not right. I won't do it!"

"Nagisa, this is a chance for you to start over." Tamao said in an attempt to get the redhead to agree. "I know how miserable you've been since Shizuma more or less dumped you, and I think that Ms. Miyuki's idea really is the best way for you to move on."

"I don't…" Nagisa began, but she could not finish her sentence.

"Why don't we do this? We'll duel to decide what you'll do." Tamao suggested. "If I win, you'll agree to enter the tournament with me, and if you win, than we'll both just drop out of it."

"That sounds like a fair proposal." Miyuki agreed.

Nagisa didn't really like Tamao's proposal, or that she and Miyuki were trying to force her into the tournament. Still, Nagisa was a duelist, and she couldn't turn down a challenge. She would just have to make sure that she won.

"All right, I except!" Nagisa said somewhat reluctantly as she activated her duel disk. Tamao activated her duel disk in response and the duel began.

"I'll go first." Tamao announced as she drew her first card. "I'll set one monster on the field and one other card as well! I end my turn!"

Nagisa knew how powerful a duelist Tamao was. She had seen her duel and knew that Tamao wouldn't be an easy opponent to beat. Nagisa wouldn't let that stop her though.

"First I play Non-Spellcasting Area!" Nagisa announced. "As long as this card is on the field, Normal monsters can't be affected by Spell cards! Next I summon Gemini Elf in Attack Mode!"

Two elf women appeared on Nagisa's side of the field. One was blond, had fair skin, and was wearing a short blue dress with white trim. The other one, who was a bit taller than the first, had red hair, tan skin, and wore a short purple dress.

"Leave it to my Nagisa to have such a beautiful monster." Tamao commented. It always Nagisa feel a little uncomfortable when Tamao called her "her Nagisa." The redheaded duelist put it out of her mind though.

"Gemini Elf, attack Tamao's monster!" Nagisa commanded. "Rose Petal Shower!"

The two elf women launched a flurry of rose petals at Tamao's monster, which was revealed to be a hunchbacked old man with stringy hair and red armor. In his right hand he carried a green staff with a gemstone on top. The old creature was destroyed by the attack of the elves.

"I'm afraid that by destroying my Old Vindictive Magician, you've activated his effect to let me destroy one of my opponent's monsters." Tamao explained. "Of course the monster that I choose to destroy is Gemini Elf!"

The two elf women disappeared in a fiery explosion. Nagisa was left wide open to a direct attack.

"I'll set one card on the field and end my turn!" Nagisa announced. Tamao drew her next card.

"First I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior in Attack Mode!" Tamao announced.

Appearing on Tamao's side of the field was a light blue skinned warrior wearing red armor with gold trim and a red cape. He carried a sword in his right hand and a shield in his left. His helmet was like a pointed wizard's hat that curved forward.

"When Breaker is summoned to the field, it gains a Spell Counter, which gives him 300 extra ATK points." Tamao explained. Nagisa noticed that the large gemstone in the center of the crossguard of Breaker's sword was glowing with a green light. "Now I activate Breaker's effect! By removing a Spell Counter from him I can destroy one Spell or Trap card on my opponent's side o the field, and I choose to destroy Non-Spellcasting Area!"

With one slash of his sword, Breaker sent forth a blade of green light that shattered Nagisa's Spell card.

"I activate my Trap, Birthright!" Nagisa announced. "This lets me summon Gemini Elf from the Graveyard!"

The two elf women appeared back on the field.

"I guess you used Breaker's effect on the wrong card, huh?" Nagisa said with a confident grin.

"I expected nothing less than a move like that from my Nagisa." Tamao replied. Nagisa was starting to become a little irritated by Tamao's little pet name for her. "I activate my Trap, Pitch-Black Power Stone!"

A small black orb started hovering on the field behind Breaker. On the side of the orb facing Nagisa was a yellow circle surrounded by three triangular shapes, which formed a larger upside-down triangle.

"When Pitch-Black Power Stone is activated, it gains three Spell Counters." Tamao explained. "Also, once per turn I can move one Spell Counter from the stone to another card that I can place Spell Counters on. So I choose to put on Breaker!"

A gold beam of energy went from the black orb to the gem on Breaker's sword. As soon as the energy disappeared, the yellow symbol on the orb grew a little dimmer.

"Now I remove the Spell Counter I just placed on Breaker to destroy Birthright!" Tamao announced.

With another slash of his sword, Breaker sent a blade of green energy at Nagisa's Trap card, shattering it. The Gemini Elf shattered along with the Trap card, as the two elves needed it to stay on the field.

"It pains me to do this my Nagisa, but for our future I have no choice. Breaker, attack Nagisa directly!" Tamao commanded. "Sword of Magic!"

Breaker charged at Nagisa and slashed her across her chest with his sword. The strike reduced Nagisa's 4000 life points to 2400.

"I end my turn!" Tamao announced.

Nagisa drew her next card. Tamao really had her on the ropes, but she wasn't going to give up.

"I summon Gagagigo in Attack Mode!" Nagisa announced. A well-muscled humanoid lizard appeared on the field. "Gagagigo, attack Breaker! Gigo Slash!"

The lizard leapt forward and slashed Breaker to pieces with his claws. The attack had reduced Tamao's life points from 4000 to 3750. Nagisa was a little frustrated because Tamao's life points had been relatively untouched. Still, it was all that Nagisa could do at the moment.

"I set one card on the field and end my turn!" Nagisa announced.

"A monster with 1850 ATK, you do not disappoint me my Nagisa." Tamao commented as she drew her next card. "I summon Maiden of Macabre in Attack Mode!"

Appearing on the field was a woman with pale blue skin in an ornate kimono. Several gold blades were sticking out of the woman's hair, and in her right hand she held a scythe with small skulls carved into its handle.

"Next I move one Spell Counter from Pitch-Black Power Stone to Maiden of Macabre!" Tamao announced.

Another beam of gold energy flowed from the black orb into Tamao's monster. Afterward the symbol on the orb grew darker.

"Maiden of Macabre gains 200 ATK for every Spell Counter on it, so her ATK just rose from 1700 to 1900." Tamao explained. "Plus she gains another Spell Counter each time she destroys a monster."

Nagisa knew that Tamao's monster could become a real problem over time, but she wasn't too worried about it.

"Maiden of Macabre, attack Gagagigo!" Tamao commanded. "Scythe of Shadows!"

The maiden of darkness sent a wave of dark energy at Nagisa's lizard warrior. Nagisa took that moment to act.

"I activate my Trap, Justi-Break!" Nagisa announced. "When my opponent's monster declares an attack against one of my Normal monsters, all Effect monsters on the field get destroyed!"

Gagagigo raised his right arm in the air, sending out a wave of energy that not only broke the wave of dark energy that was heading towards it, but also electrocuted the Maiden of Macabre until she exploded.

"It's not going to be easy to beat me." Nagisa proclaimed.

"I didn't expect that it would be." Tamao replied. "But I'll win you over yet my Nagisa. You'll see that it's the best thing for both of us that we enter the Etoile Tournament. I set one card on the field and end my turn!"

As Nagisa drew her next card, she realized how angry that she was starting to get at Tamao. She didn't like how both Tamao and Miyuki were pressuring her to enter the tournament.

"I activate the Spell card, Ancient Rules!" Nagisa announced. "This lets me Special Summon a level five or higher Normal monster from my hand, so I summon Cyber-Tech Alligator!"

Appearing on the field next to Gagagigo was a large green bipedal dragon that had parts of it body, including its right wing, made out of red metal. Nagisa was confidant that she could win. Not only was Tamao's field empty of monsters, but also her Cyber-Tech Alligator had 2500 ATK. That amount combined with Gagagigo's ATK would be more than enough to finish Tamao off.

"Cyber-Tech Alligator attack Tamao directly!" Nagisa commanded. "Cyber Energy Ray!"

The cybernetic dragon opened its mouth and shot a beam of white energy at Tamao. The blue haired girl merely smiled however.

"I activate my Trap, Negate Attack!" Tamao announced. "This stops your monster's attack and ends the Battle Phase!"

The beam sent by Cyber-Tech Alligator disappeared into a small vortex in front of Tamao.

"I… end my turn." Nagisa said quite reluctantly.

"You came very close to beating me my Nagisa, but I'm afraid that it all ends here." Tamao said as she drew her next card. "First I play Pot of Greed and draw two more cards! Next I play the Ritual Spell, Incandescent Ordeal! I tribute Cosmo Queen from my hand to summon Legendary Flame Lord!"

Appearing momentarily on the field was a woman with purple wearing dark purple robes and a large and ornate gold crown, but she soon disappeared into a burst of red flames. The flames soon vanished, revealing a well-muscled man with orange skin and long red hair. The magician wore a short-sleeved orange and brown robe, and a purple crown. In his right hand the flame lord carried a purple staff that had a red orb at the top.

"My Legendary Flame Lord gains a Spell Counter whenever a Spell card is played." Tamao explained. "Next I play the Spell card, Card Destruction! Now we both have to discard our entire hand and draw a new one!"

As both Nagisa and Tamao sent their hands to the Graveyard, the orb on the flame lord's staff started to glow.

"Next I play Graceful Charity!" Tamao announced. "I draw three cards and discard two from my hand!"

As soon as Tamao played her Spell card, the orb on the flame lord's staff grew brighter.

"Now I move the last Spell Counter from Pitch-Black Power Stone to Legendary Flame Lord!" Tamao announced.

Another beam of golden light flowed from the black stone orb into the red orb on the flame lord's staff. When the beam disappeared, the symbol on the black orb had vanished, and the black stone itself shattered.

"When Pitch-Black Power Stone has no more Spell Counters on it, it's destroyed." Tamao explained. "Now I activate Legendary Flame Lord's ability! By removing three of his Spell Counters, all other monsters on the field are destroyed!"

With a wave of the flame lord's staff, the battlefield turned into a sea of fire. When the flames finally vanished, both of Nagisa's monsters were gone. The redhead was wide open for a direct attack, and what was worse was that Legendary Flame Lord had 2400 ATK, the exact amount of life points that Nagisa had left.

"Legendary Flame Lord, attack Nagisa directly!" Tamao commanded. "Fire Magic Blast!"

From his staff, the flame lord sent a tornado of fire that hit Nagisa and reduced her life points to zero. With the duel over, Tamao walked over to Nagisa.

"I know that you don't want to enter the Tournament because we aren't really a couple," Tamao began, "but this is the best way for you to put what happened with Shizuma behind you and move on. Besides, you might find that this tournament will bring us closer, my Nagisa."

Nagisa didn't like the position that she had been put in, but she had no choice. She had more or less given her word that she would enter the tournament if she lost the duel with Tamao.

"Alright Ms. Miyuki. I'll be in the tournament." Nagisa said reluctantly.

"We shall begin your training immediately." Miyuki replied.

* * *

><p>Not to far away, Jaden had seen the entire duel, and also overheard the conversations from before and afterward. He did not at all like what had just happened.<p>

"Well, that didn't go too well." Yubel commented as she appeared.

"I can't believe that Tamao and Miyuki just forced Nagisa into the tournament." Jaden replied. "I mean, I can understand why Tamao did, but why did Miyuki enter the two of them in the tournament?"

"Maybe to keep Nagisa away from Shizuma." Yubel theorized. "She did tell Nagisa that she didn't approve of Shizuma's relationship with her."

"Yeah, but that was because she didn't want Nagisa to get hurt." Jaden said to the Duel Monster.

"Maybe." Yubel responded. "Or maybe the real reason is because Miyuki sees Shizuma as more than just a friend."

"Wait, you think that Miyuki wants Shizuma for herself?" Jaden asked. Yubel shrugged.

"It's just a theory, but you have to admit, I've been right about a lot of the stuff that's been happening on this island." Yubel replied.

"I don't think it's right." Jaden said as he looked up at the grey cloud covered sky. "Tamao is trying to get Nagisa to fall in love with her by using the tournament. I'm not really sure if Tamao is really thinking about Nagisa's feelings."

"You're right." Yubel replied. "Tamao is mostly thinking about herself. She wants Nagisa to fall in love with her so badly that she's willing to do just about anything to try and make that happen."

"It won't be real love though, will it?" Jaden asked.

"Probably not." Yubel replied. "Not if Nagisa is being forced. In the end it'll all just be a lie."

* * *

><p>About half an hour later, Shizuma was in her room wrapped up in her own thoughts. She felt that she had let go of Kaori, which wasn't easy. Though the parting letter from Kaori helped quite a bit. Shizuma still felt empty though, like something was still missing from her life. Her thoughts were interrupted though when the door to her room opened. It was Miyuki.<p>

"Something on your mind Miyuki?" Shizuma asked her old friend.

"I thought that you should know that I have entered Nagisa Aoi and Tamao Suzumi in the Etoile Tournament." Miyuki replied. Shizuma seemed shocked by what her friend had told her, though she tried her best to hide it.

"I see…" Shizuma replied.

"You are okay with this, aren't you?" Miyuki asked.

"…Of course." Shizuma replied. "I'm sure that they'll make a great team."

"I've already started their training." Miyuki continued. "It will take some work, but I'll see to it that they'll win the tournament. I'll leave you alone now."

With that, Miyuki left the room, closing the door behind her. Shizuma thought about what Miyuki had just told her, and she didn't like it, not at all. She didn't want Nagisa to enter the tournament with someone else. In a fit of rage, Shizuma began throwing things against the wall, tearing down curtains and tearing off bed sheets. She had made such a commotion that Miyuki had rushed back into the room. Miyuki found the room a mess, as if someone had broken into it. Shizuma was sitting on the floor with her back against the wall. A good-sized cut was on Shizuma's right hand.

"What on earth happened?" Miyuki asked it a worried tone.

"It's nothing." Shizuma replied with a tear rolling down her cheek. "I just don't know what got into me."

* * *

><p>Later that night in the Spica infirmary, Hikari was once again sitting by Amane's bedside. It was once again almost time to leave, but Hikari didn't want to go, not while Amane was still unconscious. Hikari suddenly began to quietly sing to herself. It wasn't a special song, just one of the songs that she had practiced in choir earlier that day. Hikari had found that singing would often cheer her up a little when she was feeling sad. Hikari was so wrapped up in her singing that she did not notice Amane slowly opening her eyes.<p>

"Hikari…" Amane called out weakly, greatly surprising the blond.

"Amane, you're awake!" Hikari exclaimed with a tearful smile. "I was so worried that you would never wake up."

"I… I remember some of the things that I did after I found that strange card." Amane said as she tried to sit up a little. A sad expression was on her face. "I can't believe that I was so terrible to you."

"It's okay." Hikari said as she took Amane's right hand with both of hers. "You weren't yourself when you did those things. I don't blame you for any of it."

"Hikai…" Amane said with a smile and a tear in her eye. "I want you to know that… I love you."

Hikari was greatly stunned and overjoyed by what Amane had just said. For a moment she thought that she was dreaming, but it felt real. She prayed to God that it was real.

"I've been in love with you for some time now." Amane continued. "It took me awhile to realize it, but I've figured out that you're what's been missing from my life. You're what I've been searching for all these years. I feel like I'm complete when I'm with you. I love you so much, and I want to show you and everyone that by entering the Etoile Tournament with you. Will you enter with me?"

Hikari was speechless for a moment, but she knew in an instant what her answer was.

"I love you too!" an overjoyed Hikari answered. "I will enter the Etoile Tournament with you!"

Amane tried to lean up to kiss Hikari. Hikari leaned down to meet Amane half way and the two entered a passionate kiss. It was at that exact moment that Jaden had entered the room. He had come to see if there had been any change to Amane's condition, and clearly there was. Jaden smiled at the sight before him, and decided that he should leave the couple alone and turned to leave.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Sorry for the sappy ending to this chapter. I didn't think that there was any other way to end it. But that pretty much resolves the Hikari and Amane relationship. The duel between Tamao and Nagisa in this chapter was pretty fun to write, mostly because I've used a lot of the cards that appeared in this duel before. To this day I don't know why I decided to have Nagisa use a Normal monster deck. I wanted her to use cards that were cute, but still powerful. Plus they had to be cards that existed before the 5D's era. So in the end I settled for a Normal monster deck. There actually is one other reason for the Normal monster deck, but I'm not going to reveal that until later. ;)

Review and let me know what you think.


	18. The Etolie Tournament

**Author's Note:** I'm actually pretty close to finishing part of a major project, but I thought I'd go ahead and add the next two chapters of this story. This first chapter was originally two, but I decided to combine because one of the original chapters was pretty short.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

* * *

><p>Chapter 18: The Etolie Tournament<p>

It had been about five days since Amane came out of her coma, and the Etoile Tournament was fast approaching. All of the couples that were entering the tournament had begun training themselves for the event. As Jaden was entering the large Spica stadium where the tournament was going to be held, he was meet by a blinding flash of white light that had vanished as soon as it appeared. When the light cleared, Jaden could see that Hikari and Amane had won a practice duel against two Spica students that Jaden had never seen before. Watching the duel from the sidelines was Shion. The blond student council president of Spica had her arms crosses over her chest and a confident smile was on her face.

"Six wins in a row! There's no way that Spica will lose the tournament!" Shion exclaimed. She turned and noticed Jaden standing next to her. "Oh, hello Mr. Yuki."

"Hey Shion." Jaden greeted back. "Um, if you don't mind I'd like to be called Jaden."

"Sure thing." Shion replied. "So, have you come to check on Spica's champions?"

"You bet." Jaden answered. "I'm actually a little worried about Amane though since she only just recovered from her coma."

"She'll be fine." Shion reassured. "I'll see to that, and so will Hikari."

In the middle of the stadium, Amane started to collapse. Fortunately Hikari got over just in time to catch her by the arm, and Amane had managed to catch herself as well. Hikari gave the blue haired tomboy a worried look.

"I'm fine." Amane said to her girlfriend with a reassuring smile. "I just need to rest for a minute."

"I think we should quit for today." Shion suggested. "Your sparing partners look like they've had enough."

"I'll be ready to go again in about five minutes." Amane replied.

"You shouldn't push yourself Amane." Jaden told the tomboy. "You only just got out of the infirmary, and besides, the tournament is still six days away."

"Jaden's right Amane." Hikari agreed. "I don't want you trying harder than you have to."

"…Oh, okay. We'll call it a day." Amane relented. She couldn't say no to Hikari.

"If you guys don't mind, I'm going to be off." Jaden suddenly said. "There's something else I want to check on."

"Does it have something to do with those Wicked God cards?" Shion asked.

"No, but it might be just as important." Jaden replied.

* * *

><p>A little later at the Miator auditorium, Nagisa and Tamao were also practicing for the tournament, and they were not doing as well as Hikari and Amane were. They had run five practice duels and had lost three of them. Jaden walked into the auditorium just in time to see defeat number four. From the spot where he was standing in the back row of the auditorium, Jaden could see Miyuki sitting in the front row. Though her face was not visible, Jaden was sure that Miyuki was very displeased that the two girls that she had chosen to become the next Etoile kept losing to their sparing partners. What was surprising to Jaden was that Shizuma was also there, standing in the front row coaching both the girl that Jaden was sure she was in love with and her rival for that girl's heart.<p>

"The two of you aren't in sync." Shizuma said to the two tournament competitors. "In a tag duel you have to be able to anticipate what your partner is planning to do. You have to learn what each other's strategy is and play off of it."

"I think we can end our practice for today." Miyuki said as she got up from her seat. "Thank you for your help Shizuma."

Shizuma nodded and headed toward the auditorium door that Jaden was standing next to.

"I surprised to see you helping out with this." Jaden said to Shizuma just as she was about to open the door.

"I'm just doing my part to make sure that Miator wins the tournament again this year." Shizuma answered.

"Aren't you against it at all?" Jaden asked sounding a little surprised. "Look, it probably isn't any of my business, but I'm pretty sure that you have feelings for Nagisa. I'm also pretty sure that you don't want to lose Nagisa to someone else."

"My feelings aren't important." Shizuma answered coldly. "I have to do what is best for Miator. Tamao and Nagisa are the best chance that the school has of winning the tournament. As a student of Miator, it is my duty to make sure that our academy wins."

"No offense, but that's just stupid." Jaden replied. "Sure academy pride is important sometimes, but it should never be more important than your own happiness. You've been sad for a long time Shizuma, and Nagisa might be your best shot at being happy again. If you let it slip away, you'll probably regret it for the rest of your life."

Shizuma didn't respond to what Jaden had just said, though her expression did soften a bit.

"Well… I guess I've told what I wanted to say to you." Jaden continued. "Don't deny your feelings Shizuma."

With those words, Jaden left. Down in the first row of the auditorium, Miyuki had overheard most of the conversation.

* * *

><p>A little bit later outside the auditorium, Jaden was heading off to go meet with Chikaru and the other girls from Lilum. They had given up on finding the final Wicked God card, but they had decided to focus on finding the enemy that had been taking the cards.<p>

"I would like a word with you Mr. Yuki." Said a voice from behind as Jaden was walking away from the auditorium. Jaden turned around to see that it was Miyuki.

"What's up Miyuki?" Jaden asked.

"I am going to say this once, stay out of Shizuma's affairs." Miyuki said sternly. "Her relationship with Ms. Aoi is none of your concern."

"You're probably right," Jaden replied, "but I'm just trying to help Shizuma. And I think that she and Nagisa…"

"YOU KNOW NOTHING!" Miyuki shouted, cutting Jaden off. "I am doing what is best for both Shizuma and Ms. Aoi! You may not approve of my methods, but you may end up thanking me later."

With that, Miyuki walked off, leaving Jaden a bit surprised, but also made him realize something.

"Wow, that was a bit harsh." Yubel said as she appeared. "Though I guess Miyuki does have a point, Shizuma's relationship with Nagisa isn't really our business."

Jaden half ignored his Duel Monster partner, thinking about something that Miyuki had said.

"Did you notice how Miyuki said 'you may end up thanking me'?" Jaden asked Yubel.

"Yeah, so what?" Yubel replied, not understanding what Jaden was getting at.

"That girl who's been after the Wicked Gods said almost the exact same phrase when she took The Wicked Dreadroot." Jaden explained.

"Wait, are you saying that Miyuki is the one who's been taking them?" Yubel asked with a tone of surprise.

"I think we may at least keep an eye on her." Jaden replied.

* * *

><p>The day that the three duel academies of Astraea Island had been anticipating for the whole year had finally arrived, the first day of the Etoile Tournament. Just about every student and teacher on the island had crowded into the large Spica duel stadium that had been prepared for the event. Jaden was sitting in the special skybox with Pegasus and the head mistress. He didn't think it was the best place to view the action of the tournament, but he thought that it would've been rude to decline the invitation from both Pegasus and the head mistress. At the very least, Jaden was able to bring Chikaru and her little gang along, and they seemed to be having a blast. After all, how many students got to see a tournament in the head mistress's private skybox? He also brought Pharaoh with him for Kizuna and Remon to play with in between matches. Down on the tournament floor, Shion was preparing to start the tournament, which was her duty since Spica was hosting the event.<p>

"Students, teacher, and honored guests of Atraea Island, welcome to the tournament that will decide the next Etoile!" Shion greeted through the microphone she was holding. The audience cheered loudly. "Now to explain the rules of this tournament! First, as all of you already know, this is a tag duel tournament, so each duel will be played with teams of two players. Each team will share an amount of 4000 life points, so a direct attack on one partner of a team is a direct attack on both. However, if one partner of a team has a monster on the field, the other team can't attack directly unless they destroy the monster first.

"Now to explain the how the tournament itself works! There are eight teams competing in this tournament. In the first round, all eight teams will duel simultaneously until there are only four teams left. After that comes the second round where the remaining four teams will face off one at a time. The two remaining teams will face off in the final round tomorrow, and the winning teams will become the next Etoile. Now let's meet our eight teams!"

The crowed cheered as the eight teams who were competing entered the stadium floor. All of them were dressed up; many of the duelist wearing elegant ball gowns, and a few were wearing tuxedos. Of the eight teams competing, Jaden only recognized three. The first team that he recognized was the team of Nagisa and Tamao. Nagisa was wearing a sleeveless red dress with a long flowing skirt. Her hair was tied up by a single red ribbon. Tamao was wearing a matching blue dress, and her hair was tied back by a blue ribbon instead of her usual white bow.

The second team that Jaden recognized was of course the team of Hikari and Amane. Amane was wearing a white tuxedo with a blue tie and cummerbund, while Hikari was wearing a beautiful white dress. The two made an elegant looking pair. Remon had commented that the two looked like the little plastic bride and groom that one would find on the top of a wedding cake. Jaden had to agree with that comparison.

The third team that Jaden recognized was the team of Kaname and Momomi, and he was quite surprised to see them in the tournament. Kaname was wearing a regular black tuxedo, while Momomi was wearing a matching black dress. Jaden did not expect the two to be in the tournament since Amane was competing. After all, they had gone to such great lengths to keep Amane from entering the tournament, Jaden was sure that they would be too cowardly to enter and take the chance of facing the Spica prince. So far, Kaname and Momomi competing was the biggest surprise of the tournament to Jaden.

"Now it is time to determine who faces who in the first round!" Shion announced into the microphone. "Everyone, please turn your attention to the monitor above!"

The large monitor mounted to the stadium ceiling showed a small picture of all eight teams. The pictures blinked around the screen for a moment until they were all placed into two separate brackets. The team of Nagisa and Tamao were placed in bracket A, while the teams of Hikari and Amane and Kaname and Momomi were both placed in bracket B, though they would not be facing each other in the first round.

"Now that the order has been decided, let the dueling begin!" Shion declared, getting another cheer from the audience.

As soon as Shion left the stage, the floor of the stadium became a war zone. Many monsters were summoned and destroyed, and Spells and Traps were played like lightening. By the time that the dust finally settled, only four teams were left standing. Among the teams from bracket A who one the first round were the Team of Nagisa and Tamao and an unknown team from Miator, made up of a girl with long brown hair and a girl with long purple hair. Both girls were wearing matching pink dresses. The two teams left standing in bracket B were none other than the teams of Hikari and Amane, and Kaname and Momomi. With the four winners decided, Shion began the second round of the tournament.

The duel between the team of Nagisa and Tamao and the unknown team of Miator came first. Jaden didn't know how to feel about that duel. He wanted to root for Nagisa and Tamao, but he knew that them winning would probably destroy Shizuma and Nagisa's relationship. Kizuna and Remon were of course rooting for Nagisa and Tamao, as was Chikaru, but they didn't know the whole situation. In the end, Nagisa and Tamao won and advanced to the finals.

* * *

><p>As the tournament was proceeding, there was one person who wasn't watching. Out by the lake, Shizuma was deep in thought. She knew that helping Miyuki train Nagisa and Tamao for the tournament was the best thing for Miator, but she couldn't get what Jaden had said to her a few days ago out of her mind. Nor could Shizuma get Nagisa herself out of her mind. After Kaori had died, Shizuma did see other girls from time to time. They weren't anything special though, they were all just pretty girls that Shizuma would get close to for a little while and then dump a week later. Each one was used to try and fill the void left by Kaori.<p>

At first Nagis just seemed like all of those other girls. As time went on however, Shizuma had found that Nagisa was different somehow. Shizuma felt like she could be her true self around Nagisa. At first, Shizuma thought that she had found the perfect replacement for Kaori, but she had learned that such a thing was an impossible task. She realized that after the incident with Nagisa at her villa on the island. Since that incident however, Shizuma had finally let go of Kaori, yet she still felt something for Nagisa. Shizuma couldn't quite tell if those feelings were love though. For a time she thought that they weren't, but that was when she was still comparing Nagisa to Kaori. Now that Shizuma was no longer doing that, she wasn't quite sure what she was feeling for Nagisa.

Shizuma was sure of two things however. The first thing that she was sure of was that Jaden was right; she couldn't deny what she was feeling. It was also foolish to put Miator pride and honor before her feelings. The second thing that Shizuma was sure of was that she didn't want Nagisa in the tournament with Tamao. She couldn't bear to watch such a thing, which was why she was out by the lake instead of at the stadium. Shizuma soon came to a decision, if Nagisa and Tamao made it to the finals the next day, than she would march into the stadium and put an end to the whole thing. Shizuma didn't quite understand why she had come to that decision, but she would figure it out soon.

* * *

><p>Back at the stadium, the second duel of the semi-final round was about to begin.<p>

"Alright, here's the duel that everyone's been waiting for!" Shion announced. "Please give a round of applause for our first team, Spica's own Prince Amane Ohtori, and her partner Hikari Konohana!"

The crowed cheered and clapped loudly as Hikari and Amane stepped onto the main stage. Hikari looked nervous, but calmed a little when Amane gave her a reassuring smile.

"Now please welcome our second team, Kaname Kenjo and Momomi Kiyashiki of Spica!" Shion announced.

The crowed cheered and clapped as Kaname and Momomi walked onto the main stage, though not as loudly as when they welcomed Hikari and Amane. This seemed to irritate Momomi a bit.

"By the decision of the coin toss, the Kenjo/Kiyashiki team shall go first, with Ms. Kiyashiki having the first turn." Shion announced. "Let the duel begin!"

Once the life points of both teams were set to 4000, Momomi drew her first card.

"I set one monster on the field and end my turn!" Momomi announced. Hikari drew her first card of the duel.

"First I play The Sanctuary in the Sky!" Hikari announced. The battlefield transformed into an ancient Roman style temple in the clouds. "Next I play the Spell card, Field Barrier! Now my Field Spell can't be destroyed, and nobody can play a new one! Next I summon Shining Angel in Defense Mode!"

A tan skinned man with blond hair, gold wings, and wearing a white toga appeared kneeling on Hikari's part of the field.

"Finally, I set one card and end my turn!" Hikari announced. Kaname drew her first card.

"I summon Renge, Gatekeeper of Dark World in Defense Mode!" Kaname announced. A grey demon with a huge torso and large orange-palmed hands appeared on Kaname's part of the field. "Next I set one card and end my turn!"

"First I summon Blade Knight in Attack Mode!" Amane announced after drawing her first card.

A knight in magnificent silver armor appeared on Amane's part of the field. Up in the skybox there was much discussion about the current duel.

"Which monster do you think Amane is going to attack?" Kizuna asked a she petted Pharaoh.

"Well, Kaname's monster has 2100 DEF, which is way stronger than the ATK of Blade Knight," Remon answered, "so I guess Amane's only choice is to attack Momomi's monster."

"But isn't that kind of dangerous?" Kizunam asked. "I mean that monster could be something dangerous."

"That is true." Chikaru added. "Attacking that monster would be a big risk, especially since Momomi uses an insect deck. Still, I don't think that Amane's the type to play it safe."

"Blade Knight, attack Momomi's monster!" Amane commanded. "Knight's Saber!"

The shining silver knight charged and slashed Momomi's monster, which was revealed to be large brown insect like creature with two arms and legs. Momomi chuckled at the destruction of her monster.

"By flipping up my Man-Eater Bug, you've activated its effect, allowing me to destroy one monster on the field." Momomi explained. "I choose to destroy Blade Knight!"

In an instant, Blade Knight shattered into triangles of gold light.

"I set two cards on the field and end my turn!" Amane announced. Once again it was Momomi's turn.

"First I summon Pinch Hopper in Attack Mode!" Momomi announced. A green grasshopper the size of a large dog appeared on Momomi's part of the field. "Next I activate the Spell, Eradicating Aerosol! This card let's me destroy Pinch Hopper!"

A giant can of bug spray appeared in the air over the Pinch Hopper. One spray from the giant can and the bug was dead, its body dissolved into nothingness.

"When Pinch Hopper is destroyed, I can Special Summon an Insect-type monster from my hand!" Momomi announced. "So from my hand I summon Dreadscythe Harvester!"

Appearing on Momomi's part of the field was a large green creature that could only be described as a cross between a centaur and an insect. The lower half of the creature's body had three insect legs, while the top half was roughly human shaped. Though its face was very insect-like. In its hands it carried a large scythe.

"Whoa, Momomi just summoned a monster with 2300 ATK in one turn!" Kizuna exclaimed from the skybox.

"Dreadsythe, attack Shining Angel!" Momomi commanded. "Reaping Slash!"

The insect monster skittered towards Shining Angel with its scythe raised.

"I activate my Trap, Draining Shield!" Hikari announced. "Now the attack of your monster is negated and Amane and I gain life points equal to Dreadscythe's ATK!"

"Not so fast little Hikari, I activate my own Trap, Trap Jammer!" Kaname announced. "This card negates the activation of your Draining Shield!"

"I won't allow that! I activate a Trap of my own, Counter Counter!" Amane announced. "This card negates and destroys one of my opponent's Counter Trap cards!"

In an instant, a blue beam of light shot from Amane's Trap card and destroyed Kaname's. At the exact same time, a silver shield appeared on the Shining Angel's arm. The angel raised the shield to block the scythe of his attacker. Hikari and Amane's life points rose from 4000 to 6300.

"I won't let either of you get in Hikari's way!" Amane declared. Amane's declaration caused the crowed to go wild.

"I set one card and end my turn!" Momomi announced with a heavy note of irritation.

Kaname was very impressed by Amane's move to stop her Trap, though she expected nothing less. After all, this wasn't the first time that she had dueled Amane. They had dueled a few times before when they had both started to attend Spica. Every time that they dueled, Kaname always lost. Amane was just simply better than she was. It wasn't just at dueling though. It seemed that Amane was able to out do Kaname at everything. Kaname started to feel as if Amane was superior to her in every way.

Kaname didn't like that Amane seemed to be better than her, so early on she decided that she would try to take everything that Amane wanted. Later on though, she realized that trying to steal all that Amane desired and trying to keep Amane from entering the tournament were the acts of a coward. Jaden Yuki was right, the only true and honorable way for Kaname to prove that she was better than Amane was to face her in a duel. Momomi protested this action at first, but in the end she agreed to enter the tournament with Kaname.

Kaname turned her attention back to the duel. Hikari had just drawn her next card.

"I play the Spell card, Soul Absorption and end my turn!" Hikari announced.

Kaname drew her next card. Now that she was able to attack, it was time to play go on the offensive.

"I activate Card Destruction!" Kaname announced. "Now we all have to discard our hands and draw the same number of cards that we all discarded! And because they were discarded to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World, Sillva, Warlord of Dark World, and Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World!"

In an instant, Kaname's three powerful demons appeared on the field.

"Beiige, attack Shinning Angel!" Kaname commanded. "Dark World Spear!"

The grey and tan demon charged at Shining Angel and thrust his spear into his chest.

"When Shining Angel is destroyed, I can Special Summon a Light Attribute monster with 1500 ATK or less from my deck in Attack Mode!" Hikari announced. "So from my deck I summon Nova Summoner!"

A winged wreath of orange crystal appeared on the field in Shinning Angel's place.

"Sillva, attack Nova Summoner!" Kaname commanded. "Dark World Slash!"

With a swipe of the blades on his wrist, Sillva shattered Nova Summoner to pieces.

"When Nova Summoner is destroyed in battle while The Sanctuary in the Sky is on the field, I can Special Summon Airknight Parshath from my deck!" Hikari announced.

A cross between a centaur and an angel in blue and gold appeared on Hikari's part of the field. Kaname was becoming a little irritated that her attacks were all being blocked. What was more irritating was that the Field Spell Hikari played earlier was blocking any damage to Hikari and Amane's life points.

"Goldd, attack Parshath!" Kaname commanded. "Axe of Dark World!"

"I activate my Trap, Dimensional Prison!" Amane announced. "Now the attacking monster is removed from play!"

As the large axe-wielding demon charged forward, it stumbled and tripped into a hole in space that quickly vanished.

"When a card is removed from play, Soul Absorption gives Amane and I 500 more life points!" Hikari announced as her and Amane's life points climbed to 6800.

"I set one card and end my turn!" Kaname announced.

Kaname was very frustrated that none of her attacks had gotten through. It was like when she dueled Amane solo. Amane was almost untouchable. Kaname was confident that she could turn it all around though, for she had become familiar with Hikari and Amane's strategy. Their strategy was to increase their life points to a high enough amount so that Hikari could use cards like The Agent of Judgment-Saturn, to win the duel. Kaname had set on the field just the card to counter that strategy however, Bad Reaction to Simochi. It was a Trap card that would change an effect that increased life points to an effect that decreases life points instead. As for Momomi's set card, Kaname was confident that it was Sakuretsu Armor, so they were covered if Amane summoned a powerful monster. Amane drew her next card.

"First I activate Heavy Storm!" Amane announced. "Now all Spell and Trap cards on the field are destroyed!"

A huge gust of wind blew away Kaname and Momomi's two Trap cards. It also blew away Hikari's Soul Absorption and Field Barrier cards, though The Sanctuary in the Sky remained on the field.

"Why wasn't Hikari's Field Spell destroyed?" Kizuna asked from the skybox.

"Because it was being protected by Field Barrier at the time." Chikaru explained.

"Next I summon Warrior of Zera in Attack Mode!" Amane announced. The green helmeted warrior appeared on the field. "Now, because The Sanctuary in the Sky is on the field, I can evolve Warrior of Zera into Archlord Zerato!"

Zera raised his sword into the air, and several small lights that came from the ground suddenly bombarded him. In a flash, Zera had completely transformed. His tan skin turned lavender, and his blue pants turned into a cloth that hung around down his waist. The red scarf that Zera wore around his neck extended into a long sash and hung down like a cape and also covered his face. His green helmet turned white and the red horns on it extended and curved back. A pair of massive white wings sprung from Zera's back and also connected on the front of his chest. Zera's original sword was replaced by a long saber.

The crowed went wild when Archlord Zerato appeared. Up in the skybox, Jaden remembered what Amane had told him about the reason why Warrior of Zera was her favorite monster. She mentioned that it was because Warrior of Zera was like her in a way, fighting alone and looking for something better. Amane had felt as if something was missing in her life. To Jaden it seemed that Archlord Zerato represented Amane finally finding what was missing in her life, for Warrior of Zera can only become Archlord Zerato when The Sanctuary in the Sky is on the field, and Hikari is the one with that Field Spell. With Hikari fighting by her side, Amane had become stronger than ever.

"Now I activate Archlord Zerato's effect!" Amane announced. "By discarding a Light Attribute monster from my hand while The Sanctuary in the Sky is on my side of the field, I destroy all monsters on my opponent's side of the field!"

Zerato raised his sword high into the air and a beam of white light shot down from the heavens and vaporized all of Kaname and Momomi's monsters.

"Zerato, attack Kaname and Momomi directly!" Amane commanded. "Holy Surge!"

With a slash of his sword, Zerato sent a wave of white light that hit Kaname and Momomi, dropping their life points from 4000 to 1200. The crowed went absolutely wild.

"I end my turn!" Amane announced. Momomi drew her next card.

"I set one monster on the field and end my turn!" Momomi announced.

Momomi was a little confident that she and Kaname could still turn the duel around, for she had just set another Man-Eater Bug on the field. Still, it all depended on what card Hikari drew next, and she was about to find out.

"I tribute Parshath to summon The Agent of Judgment-Saturn!" Hikari announced. Parshath shattered and in his place appeared Hikari's purple angel of judgment. Kaname and Momomi both knew that it was all over. "Now I tribute Saturn and inflict damage equal to the difference in our life points!"

Saturn exploded into a white light that washed out the whole stadium for a moment. When the light cleared, the battlefield was empty and Kaname and Momomi's life points were at zero. The crowed cheered loudly. Kaname and Momomi gracefully walked off the stage, though Momomi walked away a little less gracefully than Kaname. Hikari and Aamane both smiled at each other. Suddenly, Amane picked up Hikari and held her bridal style. Hikari's face went completely red. The crowed became almost hysterical at that point. Even in the skybox Jaden and the others were giving the two a standing ovation.

"Wow, what an incredible pair of duelists!" Pegasus exclaimed. "And they make a very beautiful couple too!"

"I couldn't agree with you more." Jaden responded.

It took a little over five minutes for the crowed to calm down. Shion finally walked back on stage.

"Wow, okay! It looks like we have our second team of finalists!" Shion announced. "So tomorrow at noon, the teams of Nagisa Aoi and Tamao Suzumi will face off against the team of Amane Ohtori and Hikari Konohana in the final round! So we'll see you all tomorrow!"

At that point, everyone began to leave the stadium. Down on the stadium floor, Kaname and Momomi were talking about their defeat.

"I can't believe we came so close!" a frustrated Momomi exclaimed. "I knew that we couldn't beat Amane!"

"At least we actually tried." Kaname replied. "Though in the end, she was still better than I was. Maybe she always will be."

"…You shouldn't keep comparing yourself to Amane." Momomi said after a short pause. "I think you're better than she is."

Kaname responded by suddenly pulling Momomi into an embrace.

"And that is why you are so special to me" Kaname said just before giving Momomi a passionate kiss.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, Nagisa was alone out by the lake. She and Tamao had somehow made it into the finals, though she wasn't at all happy about it. It was all a lie, she and Tamao weren't an actual couple, and Nagisa hated how people were starting to think that. Nagisa had always thought of Tamao as a good friend, nothing more. Try as she might, Nagisa couldn't bring herself to think of Tamao as anything more. Tamao had insisted that the Etoile Tournament would bring them closer, but it wasn't. If anything, Nagisa felt a bit trapped.<p>

It was getting late, and Nagisa needed to turn in early for the finals. She began to head back to the Strawberry Dorms. As she walked, she suddenly tripped over a tree root and fell to the ground. As Nagisa got up, she noticed that she was in front of the tree where she first met Shizuma. The reminder of Shizuma was starting to bring tears to Nagisa's eyes. As she got up, Nagisa noticed something sticking out of the ground. There was still enough light to see that it was the corner of something buried under the tree.

Nagisa used her hands to uncover whatever was buried, since she had nothing else to use. She was fortunate that the item wasn't buried vary deep. The item in question was a small box of some sort, decorated in the school colors of Miator. Nagisa touched the latch and was startled when it turned to dust. Nagisa opened the box, and inside found a card. It was a monster card that Nagisa had never even heard of before. Nagisa read the name of the card, "The Wicked Avatar."

Nagisa took the card out of the box, and in an instant she was overcome by an excruciating headache. She felt as if her head was going to explode. Suddenly, it was as if all of Nagisa's anger was brought to the surface. All Nagisa could think about was how angry she was at Miyuki for entering her and Tamao in the Etoile Tournament, and how angry she was at Tamao for trying to take Shizuma's place. Most of all, Nagisa was angry at Shizuma for rejecting her and trying to use her as a replacement for her dead girlfriend. Nagisa was full of rage, and she swore that she would make all of them pay.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> The hardest part of this chapter was writing the tag duel. Mostly because there were more than two players. Though once I decided the order of play it was a little easier.

Review and let me know what you think.


	19. The Monster Is Loose

**Author's Note:** The original title of this chapter was "Advent of the Third God". But when I went to go edit, I decided to use the song, "The Monster Is Loose" by Meat Loaf because I thought that it better reflected Nagisa's state of mind. So any Strawberry Panic fans that are reading this story, prepare to see Nagisa as you have never seen her before.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

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><p>Chapter 19: "The Monster Is Loose"<p>

Nagisa had just gotten back to her dorm room. Her head was still pounding and she was still full of rage. Nagisa took a quick glance around the room and saw that Tamao was in her bed, already asleep. The sight of the sleeping bluenette made Nagisa absolutely sick. She wanted to storm over to the bed and start clubbing Tamao with her duel disk. Nagisa held back however. She would make Tamao pay soon enough.

Nagisa decided to try to get some sleep. After she had washed up and changed into her pajamas she climbed into her own bed. Sleep would not come to the redhead however. Her head hurt too much, it was as if several drills were burrowing into her skull. In the end Nagisa decided that trying to get to sleep was a pointless effort. She needed to work on her deck before the morning came anyway. As Nagisa got up, she noticed the red dress that Tamao and Miyuki had picked out for her to wear for the tournament already laid out for her. The mere sight of it made her sick. In a fit of rage Nagisa tore the dress up. Surprisingly, Tamao was not awakened by Nagisa's little rampage. Again Nagisa thought about how easy it would be to go over to Tamao's bed and just murder the little tramp, but again she held back. She would deal with Tamao tomorrow. The important thing at the moment was preparing her deck and finding a new outfit.

* * *

><p>The final day of the tournament had arrived. Once again almost everyone on the island had crowded into the Spica stadium to see the duel that would decide the next Etoile, and once again Jaden, along with Pharaoh and his four friends from Lilum were in the skybox with Pegasus and the head mistress. Everyone was ready for the duel to begin. There was a problem though, the duel was supposed to start at noon, but twenty minutes passed and the duel had not gotten started. The reason was because Nagisa had not shown up. The crowed was becoming restless. Miyuki had left the stadium to go find the missing redhead.<p>

Outside, Tamao was waiting in front of the doors to the stadium. She was terribly worried that something bad had happened to Nagisa. Tamao looked around frantically one more time and at last saw Nagisa approaching. There was something different about her though. Mostly the difference was in what she was wearing. Instead of the red dress that Nagisa was to wear during the tournament, she was wearing black dress with a skirt that ended just above the knees and a black leather corset over it. Nagisa was also wearing knee-high high-heeled boots, and black gloves that went up to her elbows. Her mint-green Miator duel disk seemed quite out of place with the outfit. Nagisa's hair was done up in its usual style, except that it was tied up in a thick black ribbon, and a black choker was around her neck.

"There you are Nagisa! I was so worried!" Tamao exclaimed as she ran up to the redhead. "We were supposed to start the last duel of the tournament about twenty minutes ago. Hey, why aren't you wearing the red dress I picked out for you?"

"…Shut up bitch." Nagisa said in a low voice before hitting Tamao with her duel disk arm and knocking her to the ground.

"Oww, why did you do that Nagisa?" Tamao asked as she started to get up. "That really hurt!"

"I said SHUT UP!" Nagisa yelled as she kicked Tamao in the stomach before the bluentte could get to her feet. "The sight of you makes me sick!"

"…What's gotten into you?" Tamao asked as she finally got back to her feet. "Why are you doing this my Nagisa?"

"Don't CALL ME THAT!" Nagisa yelled as she hit Tamao again with her duel disk. Tamao managed to keep herself from falling to the ground that time however. "How dare you keep saying that I'm yours?"

"I-I'm sorry." Tamao said in a frightened tone as tears started coming to her eyes. "It's just… well I love you so much Nagisa."

"Well I don't fell the same way about you!" Nagisa shot back. "How could I love a pathetic girl like you? You're nothing but a weak lonely little worm who started to cling on to me the second I got here! Do you think I wanted you as a roommate? All you are to me is a waste of space!"

"B-but…" was all that Tamao managed to get out.

"What's worse is that you and that cast-iron bitch Miyuki forced me into the Etoile Tournament with the twisted idea that I would fall in love with you!" Nagisa continued, giving a short sarcastic laugh. "How much more pathetic can you get?"

"…I'm sorry Nagisa." Tamao said as she regained a little of her composure. "I guess I never really considered your feelings."

"Gee, ya think?" Nagisa asked sarcastically.

"If you want… we can just drop out of the tournament now." Tamao offered.

"You're not getting off that easily." Nagisa replied. "I want to have a rematch with you, just to show you how pathetic you truly are."

"…Alright, but if I win we go back to the tournament." Tamao said as she activated her duel disk. "I still think that we can become closer if we became Etoile."

"Whatever." Nagisa replied as she activated her duel disk in response. "There's no way a spineless girl like you could beat me."

* * *

><p>Back in the skybox, Jaden and the others were still waiting for the duel to start; unaware of what was happening outside.<p>

"This is boring!" Pegasus exclaimed. "If I had known that there was going to be such a delay I would've brought one of my favorite comic books to read."

Suddenly Jaden felt a sense of great danger like he had never felt before. It was like the feeling he got when he was around the wielder of a Wicked God but much stronger. Winged Kuriboh suddenly appeared before Jaden making a fuss. Something was terribly wrong.

"Um, if you'll all excuse me, I just remembered that I have something really important to take care of." Jaden said just before he got up and quickly followed Winged Kuriboh to what they were both sensing. Realizing that something was going on, Chikaru and the other three Lilum girls followed Jaden, taking Pharaoh with them.

"I wonder what's got them all worked up?" the kindly old head mistress asked.

"Whatever it is, it's probably more exciting than what's going on in here." Pegasus replied.

* * *

><p>Back outside, the duel between Nagisa and Tamao had just begun. Nagisa had the first turn.<p>

"I set one monster on the field and end my turn!" Nagisa announced. Tamao drew her first card.

"I summon Maiden of Macabre in Attack Mode!" Tamao announced. The scythe wielding kimono girl appeared on the field. "Maiden, attack Nagisa's monster! Scythe of Shadows!"

With a swing of her scythe, Maiden of Macabre sent a blade of dark energy that split Nagisa's monster in half. The monster in question was a semi-transparent purple sphere with a smaller black sphere in the center. It was like a giant single celled organism. Suddenly a shockwave of some kind suddenly emanated from where the single celled creature was destroyed and hit Tamao. Tamao felt an actual impact as her life points dropped from 4000 to 3500.

"When my Giant Germ is destroyed, it inflicts 500 points of damage to my opponent!" Nagisa explained. "Plus I get to summon two more Giant Germs from my deck!"

Two more giant single celled organisms appeared on Nagisa's side of the field.

"Fine, but don't forget that my Maiden of Macabre gains a Spell Counter every time she destroys a monster in battle!" Tamao announced. "Also, her ATK rises from 1700 to 1900 thanks to that Spell Counter! I set one card and end my turn!"

As Nagisa drew her next card, Jaden, Chikaru, and the other three Lilum girls arrived to witness the rest of the duel. Upon seeing Nagisa, Jaden was certain that the terrible feeling that he was getting was coming from her. Winged Kuriboh started growling (or rather made a sound that approximated growing), at the redheaded duelist, and Kagome had started hiding behind Chikaru.

"Does Nagisa have…?" Chikaru asked, though she could not bring herself to finish her question.

"The third Wicked God? Yeah." Jaden answered.

"First I summon Archfiend Soldier!" Nagisa announced. A horned demon wearing grey armor and a green cape appeared on the field. "Next I activate Double Summon! Now I can perform one more Normal Summon this turn, so I tribute Archfiend Soldier and my two Giant Germs to summon The Wicked Avatar!"

The demon soldier and the two Giant Germs shattered and a column of purple light shot up into the sky. When the light vanished, floating in the sky was a gigantic sphere that looked like a pitch-black sun. The creature seemed to give off a feeling that Jaden could only describe as pure hatred. In fact, Jaden could faintly hear a cold inhuman voice speaking from inside the sphere.

_'Kill… destroy… kill… slaughter… destroy… kill… kill…'_ was all the voice kept saying.

Suddenly the black sphere that was The Wicked Avatar shrank and twisted until it was standing on the battlefield in the same shape as Tamao's Maiden of Macabre. The monster itself was still completely pitch-black, but it was in the general shape of the maiden.

"The Wicked Avatar's ATK points are 100 points stronger than the strongest monster on the field," Nagisa explained, "but why settle for the shape of your weak Maiden of Macabre? I activate Ancient Rules, which lets me Special Summon from my hand, Gogiga Gagagigo!"

Appearing on the field next to the Avatar was an evil version of the humanoid lizard that Nagisa had played in her last duel with Tamao. It was twice the size of the original Gagagigo and far more muscular. The lizard's chest, shoulders, claws, waist, lower legs, and parts of its face and tail were covered in grey cybernetic armor. In an instant, The Wicked Avatar swelled up and changed into Gogiga Gagagigo's shape.

"That monster has 2950 ATK points!" Kizuna exclaimed, as she held on to Pharaoh in a way similar to how Kagome held her bear. "Which means that The Wicked Avatar has… let's see."

"3050 ATK since Gogiga Gagagigo is the strongest monster on the field." Remon responded.

"Gogiga Gagagigo, attack Maiden of Macabre!" Nagisa commanded. "Giga Slash!"

"I activate my Trap, Mirror Force!" Tamao announced, but as she pushed the activation button on her duel disk, nothing happened. Nagisa burst into an insane laugh.

"Nice try, but when The Wicked Avatar has been summoned, my opponent can't activate any Spell or Trap cards until the end of their second turn after its been summoned." Nagisa explained with a cruel smile.

Gagagigo charged forward and slashed Maiden of Macabre to ribbons. Tamao's life points fell to 2450, and she was wide open for another attack.

"Wicked Avatar, attack Tamao directly!" Nagisa commanded. "Dark Giga Slash!"

The dark god charged forward and slashed Tamao across the chest with its pitch-black claw. The shock from the impact caused Tamao to fall to the ground unconscious has her life points went to zero. With the duel over, Nagisa's two monsters vanished. Jaden calmly walked over to the unconscious Tamao.

"What're you doing here?" Nagisa asked in an irritated tone.

"I'll deal with you in a minute." Was Jaden's only reply as he bent down and picked up Tamao.

Jaden walked back to the stadium entryway where Chikaru and the others were standing.

"Look after Tamao for me while I take care of this." Jaden told the four Lilum girls as he gently set Tamao on the ground in front of them.

"You're going to duel Nagisa, aren't you?" Chikaru asked, though she didn't need the answer.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful." Jaden answered as he turned to leave.

As Jaden was walking back towards Nagisa, Pharaoh yawned and released the spirit of Lyman Banner. Jaden turned to speak with the dead professor of Slifer Red.

"What's up?" Jaden asked.

"I wanted to warn you that there is an incredible evil power about to rise." Banner answered.

"If you're talking about the third Wicked God, it's already appeared." Jaden replied.

"I think there might be something more." Banner responded. "I don't know what, but just be careful for now."

"I will." Jaden responded and continued on to face Nagisa.

"I don't have time to mess with you Jaden!" Nagisa said in an irritated tone.

"Too bad." Jaden replied as he raised his duel disk arm.

"What's going on here?" a voice suddenly asked. Jaden looked to his left and saw that it was Shizuma. "I saw that entire duel. Nagisa, what was that strange card you played? More importantly, what's come over you Nagisa? You definitely aren't acting like yourself."

"Shizuma, Nagisa's mind is being affected by that monster you saw her use against Tamao, The Wicked Avatar." Jaden explained. "The only way to bring Nagisa to her senses is to beat her in a duel."

"…I see." Shizuma said calmly as she walked over. "I still don't understand what's going on, but if the only way to help Nagisa is to beat her in a duel, than I'm the one who's going to do it."

"You can't! It's too dangerous!" Jaden told Shizuma. "You don't know the kind of power that we're up against!"

"All I need to know is that it's making Nagisa crazy." Shizuma replied.

"I can't let you put yourself in danger like that!" Jaden argued. "You saw what happened to Tamao!"

"It's a risk I'll have to take." Shizuma calmly argued back. "There's no way you can talk me out of this Jaden."

"ENOUGH!" Nagisa yelled. She had grown frustrated with Shizuma and Jaden arguing, and her constant headache wasn't helping. "Stay out of this Jaden! This is between Shizuma and I anyway!"

"I won't." Jaden replied. "I don't want Shizuma getting hurt."

"I'm not going to stand by and do nothing!" Shizuma told Jaden.

"FINE! Why don't you both duel me?" Nagisa angrily suggested. "That way you can stop arguing and we can get this over with! But I get 8000 life points!"

"Fine by me." Shizuma agreed.

"I guess there's no other choice than." Jaden responded. "It's two against one."

With that, the three duelists activated their duel disks and prepared to face off.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> It was loads of fun writing Nagisa as evil. I had this part of the story planned from the beginning. Another one of the reasons why I originally had Nagisa use a Normal monster deck in this story was because I wanted her using Gogiga Gagagigo as a symbol of how she becomes corrupted by The Wicked Avatar. Well, I'm not sure when I'll have the next chapter up, but it will hopefully be soon.

In the meantime, review and let me know what you think.


	20. Scorn

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

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><p>Chapter 20: Scorn<p>

Out in front of the Spica stadium where the Etoile Tournament was being held, Jaden and Shizuma had teamed up to duel Nagisa, who had been corrupted by The Wicked Avatar. Chikaru, Kizuna, Remon, and Kagome were watching from the entryway of the stadium, where they were also tending to an unconscious Tamao. Also there watching was the ghost of Lyman Banner, who had recently exited from Pharaoh when he sensed a disturbance. The duel was just beginning. Nagisa had 8000 life points, while Jaden and Shizuma were both playing with 4000. It was Jaden who had the first turn. He didn't have the best opening hand, but at the very least he could put up an adequate defense for the first turn.

"I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in Defense Mode!" Jaden announced. His stone armored hero appeared on the field. "I end my turn!"

"First I summon Renge, Gatekeeper of Dark World in Defense Mode!" Nagisa announced after drawing her first card. The same orange-handed grey demon that Kaname had played during the Etoile Tournament appeared on the field. "Next I set two cards on the field and end my turn!"

"Just so you know Nagisa, I'm dueling you with my true deck." Shizuma said as she calmly drew her card. "I activate Polymerization and fuse Elemental Hero Heat and Elemental Hero Lady Heat into Elemental Hero Inferno!"

Appearing on the field was a masked warrior in a red, white, and orange costume, and a female warrior wearing a similar costume. The two jumped into the small fusion vortex that appeared on the field and emerging from the other side was a much larger warrior in red and white armor. The hero's hands glowed like burning magna, and there was also a hole in his chest armor that also showed burning magma. Jaden was a bit surprised to see Shizuma play an Elemental Hero. Although he did remember reading in the Miator library that Shizuma won the last Etoile Tournament with an Elemental Hero deck.

"Inferno, attack Renge!" Shizuma commanded. "Heat Blast!"

Inferno fired a blast of flames at the demon. At that moment, an insane smile appeared on Nagisa's face.

"I activate my Trap, Hate Buster!" Nagisa announced. "When a face up Fiend-type monster I control is selected as an attack target, my Trap destroys the attacking monster, the attack target, and inflicts damage to my opponent equal to the attacking monster's ATK points! And since Inferno is your monster my dear Shizuma, you're the one who takes the damage!"

Both Inferno and Renge exploded and a sort of dark lighting suddenly shocked Shizuma. Her life points dropped from 4000 to 1700. The silver haired girl screamed in pain as the lighting shocked her. Jaden and those who were watching were surprised to see that Nagisa's Trap card seemed to cause Shizuma actual pain. Nagisa merely laughed madly at the sight of Shizuma crying out in pain.

"That God card must be giving Nagisa the ability to inflict real damage somehow." Yubel guessed as she appeared behind Jaden. Jaden nodded in agreement.

"I… summon Elemental Hero Woodsman in Defense Mode!" Shizuma announced after she recovered a little from the damage. A warrior that looked like he was half tree appeared on Shizuma's part of the field. "Next I set one card and end my turn!"

"First I activate Polymerization!" Jade announced after drawing his next card. "I fuse Elemental Hero Sparkman into Clayman to summon Elemental Hero Thunder Giant!"

The blue and gold costumed electric hero appeared on the field momentarily before he merged with Clayman into a very large warrior in a purple costume with brown and white armor.

"Thunder Giant, attack Nagisa directly!" Jaden commanded. "Voltic Thunder!"

The giant hero raised his arms and a large ball of electricity formed in between his hands. Just as he was about to throw the ball though, Nagisa reacted.

"I activate my Trap, Sakuretstu Armor!" Nagisa announced. "Now your monster is destroyed!"

Before he could though his ball of electricity, Thunder Giant exploded, leaving Jaden's part of the field completely exposed. Since he and Shizuma had separate life points, Nagisa could attack Jaden directly. Jaden didn't have anything in his hand he could use to defend himself from an attack, so he hoped that Shizuma's set card could block whatever Nagisa had in store.

"I end my turn!" Jaden announced.

"I activate the Spell card, Ancient Rules!" Nagisa announced. "This let's me summon Gogigia Gagagigo from my hand!"

Ngaisa's raging cybernetic man-lizard appeared on the field. Jaden was certain that Nagisa was going to attack him directly.

"Gagagigo, attack Woodsman!" Nagisa commanded, surprising Jaden. "Giga Slash!"

"I activate my Trap, Draining Shield!" Shizuma announced. "The attack of your monster is negated and I gain life points equal to Gogiga Gagagigo's ATK!"

As the man-lizard charged forward, a silver shield appeared on Woodsman's arm. The plant warrior raised the shield just in time to block Gagagigo's metal claw, and Shizuma's life points rose to 4650. Nagisa stamped the ground with her right foot in frustration.

"Fine! I set one card on the field and end my turn!" Nagisa announced in an annoyed tone.

As Shizuma drew her next card, Jaden tried to figure out why Nagisa attacked Shizuma's monster instead of attacking him directly. Jaden could hear that the ones who were watching the duel were wondering the same thing.

"I don't get it, why didn't Nagisa go after Jaden? He was wide open." Kizuna asked.

"Maybe She thought that Shizuma's monster was too big of a threat." Remon answered.

"First I activate Woodsman's effect and add Polymerization from my Graveyard to my hand!" Shizuma announced. "Next I activate Pot of Greed and draw two more cards from my deck! Now I activate Polymerization and fuse Woodsman and Elemental Hero Ocean into Vision Hero Adoration!"

The aquatic blue hero momentarily appeared on the field before merging with Woodsman into a completely different hero. The hero that appeared wore a black costume that only revealed his grey arms. Though he was masked, it could be seen that the hero had one eye on the center of his face like a Cyclops.

"Next I activate Miracle Fusion and remove Ocean and Woodsman from the Graveyard to fuse the into Elemental Hero Terra Firma!" Shizuma announced.

A giant warrior that looked as if he was made of white stone dropped onto the field. Jaden found that he was quite impressed with Shizuma. For one thing, she had Elemental Hero Terra Firma, an incredibly rare card. The two monsters that made Terra Firma were quite easy to find. Jaden had Elemental Hero Ocean in his own deck, but Terra Firma itself was a very hard to find card. The other thing that had impressed Jaden was that Shizuma had used the same two monsters to create two different fusions. Plus he had never heard of Vision Heroes before. Jaden decided that he would have to ask Shizuma for a rematch later. At the moment however, the important thing was saving Nagisa.

"Now I activate Adoration's effect!" Shizuma announced. "By selecting an opponent's monster and a Hero monster I control, I can decrease the ATK of the opposing monster by an amount equal to the ATK of the selected Hero! So I choose Terra Firma to decrease the ATK of Gogiga Gagagigo by 2500!"

Adoration raised his arms forward and sent a sort of mirage of Terra Firma at Gagagigo, weakening the man-lizard.

"Wow, now Nagisa's monster only has 450 ATK!" Kizuna exclaimed. "I had no idea that Shizuma was so good!"

"She had to be in order to become Etoile." Chikaru reminded Kizuna.

"It pains me to do this Nagisa, but you've left me no choice. Adoration, attack Gagagigo!" Shizuma commanded. "Ambition Sanctions!"

With another gesture from the mysterious hero, Gagagigo was enveloped in a pillar of light, causing a huge explosion. Nagisa's life points dropped to 4750. When the smoke cleared however, standing in the man-lizard's place was a gigantic black skeletal dragon with a main of grey hair. Its eyes glowed with a mindless red light.

"What on earth…?" Shizuma asked with a shocked expression.

"When you destroyed Gagagigo, I activated my set card, A Deal with Dark Ruler." Nagisa explained with an insane smile. "This card let me Special Summon Berserk Dragon from my deck."

"I… end my turn!" Shizuma announced.

Jaden drew his next card. He didn't have much that he could use to defend against Nagisa's monster, but he did have something he could use.

"I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart in Defense Mode!" Jaden announced. The wilderness hero appeared on Jaden's part of the field. "That ends my turn!"

"It's my turn!" Nagisa announced gleefully as she drew her next card. "I should probably mention that in addition to having 3500 ATK, my Berserk Dragon can attack every monster on my opponent's side of the field at least once."

"Seriously? That thing is way too overpowered!" Kizuna exclaimed from the sidelines.

"That power does come at a cost though." Chikaru added. "At the end of each of its wielder's turns, Berserk Dragon loses 500 ATK points."

"Berserk Dragon, destroy them all!" Nagisa commanded. "Rampage Slaughter!"

The skeletal dragon threw its head back and shot three huge fireballs from its mouth. All of Jaden and Shizuma's heroes were completely destroyed. Jaden's life points were untouched, but Shizuma's life points had fallen to 2950.

"I set one card on the field and end my turn!" Nagisa announced. Shizuma drew her next card.

"I summon Phantom Magician in Defense Mode and end my turn!" Shizuma announced. A short human skeleton carrying a small wand in a white mask and a tattered black hood and cloak appeared on Shizuma's part of the field.

Jaden drew his next card and was relieved to find something that he could use to stop the Berserk Dragon's rampage.

"I lay down a facedown and end my turn!" Jaden announced. Nagisa drew her next card.

"Berserk Dragon, attack Phantom Magician!" Nagisa commanded. "Rampage Slaughter!"

The skeletal dragon threw its head back and launched another fireball.

"I activate my Trap, Negate Attack!" Jaden announced. The fireball vanished into a vortex that appeared in front of Phantom Magician. Nagisa's expression changed to one of anger and annoyance.

"STAY OUT OF MY WAY JADEN!" Nagisa shouted.

"Woah, that was a little harsh." Yubel commented from behind Jaden.

It suddenly dawned on Jaden why Nagisa attacked Shizuma earlier in the duel instead of attacking him directly when she had the chance, Nagisa was angry with Shizuma. It was understandable since Shzuma more or less rejected her, but it seemed that Nagisa's anger was being drawn to the surface. The Wicked Avatar was using that anger to drive Nagisa.

"I end my turn!" Nagisa announced after regaining some composure. As soon as Nagisa's turn ended, Berserk Dragon's ATK fell to 2500. Shizuma calmly drew her next card.

"I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman in Defense Mode!" Shizuma announced. Appearing on the field was an alternate colored version of Jaden's electric hero. The blue parts of Shizuma's Sparkman were red instead, and its gold armor was more of a rosy pink. "I end my turn!"

"First I summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix in Attack Mode!" Jaden announced after drawing his next card. The female hero of flames appeared on the field. "Next I activate Miracle Fusion and remove Bustinatrix on the field and Clayman in the Graveyard to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster in Defense Mode!"

In a flash, Burstinatrix was covered in a more advanced version of Clayman's armor. Rampart Blaster went into a kneeling position and raised the shield on her left arm.

"While Rampart Blaster is in Defense Mode, it can attack my opponent directly, though the damage is cut in half!" Jaden announced. "Rampart Blaster, attack Nagisa directly! Rampart Shot!"

Rampart Blaster fired the cannon on her left arm. The attack hit Nagisa and her life points dropped to 3750.

"I end my turn!" Jaden announced. As soon as Nagisa drew her next card, Jaden felt the sense of danger that he had been feeling from Nagisa grow stronger. Nagisa's lips curved into an insane grin.

"First I summon Double Coston!" Nagisa announced. A small black blob with beady green eyes appeared next to Berserk Dragon. "Next I activate my Trap, Birthright! This lets me summon Gogiga Gagagigo from the Graveyard!"

Nagisa's cybernetic man-lizard roared as it reappeared on the field. Jaden knew what Nagisa was about to do.

"Next I play Double Summon, which lets me Normal Summon one more time this turn!" Nagisa announced. "Now I tribute Berserk Dragon and Double Coston to summon The Wicked Avatar!"

Double Coston split into two copies of itself before shattering along with Berserk Dragon. A column of purple light shot into the sky before fading and revealing a sphere that looked every bit like a black sun. In an instant the sphere shrank down and reshaped itself into a pitch-black version of Gagagigo.

"Gagagigo, attack Sparkman!" Nagisa commanded. "Giga Slash!"

With one slash of the man-lizard's metal claw, Shizuma's Sparkman was cut to ribbons.

"Wicked Avatar, destroy Phantom Magician!" Nagisa commanded. "Dark Giga Slash!"

The pitch-black version of Gagagigo charged forward and slashed the skeletal mage to bits.

"When Phantom Magician is destroyed, I can Special Summon a Hero monster with 1000 or less ATK from my deck in Defense Mode!" Shizuma announced. "So from my deck I summon Elemental Hero Clayman!"

A more rose colored version of Clayman appeared on Shizuma's part of the field.

"I end my turn!" Nagisa announced. Shizuma drew her next card.

"There's nothing I can do. I end my turn!" Shizuma announced. Nagisa's mad grin grew wider.

Things were looking bad, especially for Shizuma. The silver haired girl only had 2950 life points left, that exact amount of ATK that Gagagigo had, and only one monster to defend herself with. All Nagisa would need to do would be to destroy that one monster and attack directly. What was worse was that since The Wicked Avatar was summoned, neither of them could activate Spell or Trap cards for two of their turns. Jaden needed to figure out a way to protect Shizuma from Nagisa's wrath, and he suddenly got the idea to use Nagisa's anger against her.

"Rampart Blaster, attack Nagisa directly!" Jaden commanded after drawing his next card. "Rampart Shot!"

The armored hero fired another shot from her cannon, which hit Nagisa and reduced her life points to 2750. An annoyed expression appeared on Nagisa's face.

"What's the matter Nagisa? Are my attacks bothering you?" Jaden taunted. "Maybe you should stop ignoring me in this duel! I end my turn!"

"Quite bugging me and stay out of my way!" Nagisa shouted at Jaden as she drew her next card. "Gagagigo, slaughter that annoying Rampart Blaster! Giga Slash!"

The cybernetic man-lizard charged at Jaden's armored hero and tore her to ribbons with his claws.

"Now Wicked Avatar, destroy Shizuma's Clayman!" Nagisa commanded. "Dark Giga Slash!"

With one slash of its pitch-black claw, the demon god destroyed the monster that was Shizuma's last line of defense.

"Oh no! Now neither of them has any monsters to protect themselves!" Remon exclaimed from the sidelines.

"Yes, but Shizuma is still in the duel." Chikaru commented with a smirk. "That was Jaden's plan all along."

"So much for you beating Shizuma this turn." Jaden taunted. Nagisa had suddenly realized what Jaden had tricked her into doing.

"You JERK!" Nagisa shouted at Jaden. "Once I take down Shizuma, you're next! In the meantime, stay out of my way! I end my turn!"

"Why are you so determined to beat me Nagisa?" Shizuma asked.

"You know why!" Nagisa said angrily. "It's because you rejected me! I wasn't good enough for you! I couldn't live up to your precious Kaori!"

"I see…" Shizuma replied with sad eyes. "You have every reason to be mad at me Nagisa. I don't blame you for wanting to destroy me. There's something that you should know however. I… love you Nagisa."

Nagisa's expression changed to one of utter surprise, but than twisted into one of anger and rage.

"You LIAR!" Nagisa shouted. "You don't really love me! You're just saying that to try and get me to play the part of your dead girlfriend, but I know it's a lie!"

"There was a time when that was true," Shizuma replied, "but I've finally let go of Kaori. It took me a little while for me to figure out my real feelings for you Nagisa, but there isn't a doubt in my mind that I love you."

"Liar, liar, liar!" Nagisa shouted as she stamped her right foot on the ground three times. Tears were starting to stream down Nagisa's face. "Quit saying that you love me! You don't…"

At that point, Nagisa fell to her knees holding her head. The redhead's breathing increased. Jaden noticed that blood was starting to trickle down from Nagisa's nose.

"My head!" Nagisa cried. "It feels like… it's coming… apart!"

"The power of that Wicked Avatar must be too much for the girl!" Banner exclaimed from the sidelines.

"I think Banner is right." Yubel agreed. "That monster is tearing Nagisa's mind apart. If we don't end this soon, poor Nagisa will be destroyed."

Shizuma started to run towards Nagisa, but The Wicked Avatar roared and slashed at the silver haired girl.

"STAY BACK!" Nagisa shouted. The redhead slowly got back to her feet. Her face was twisted into an insane grin. "I'm going to make you pay for your lies Shizuma. Now start your turn!"

With no other choice, Shizuma reluctantly drew her next card.

"There's nothing I can do this turn!" Shizuma announced. "I'm at your mercy Nagisa."

Jaden drew his next card, desperate to find something that could end the duel. He did draw just the card he needed, but he was afraid to use it. Jaden was worried that the shock to Nagisa would be too great to her already fragile mind. Jaden had no other choice though. If he didn't use what he drew, Shizuma would be finished.

"I lay down two facedowns and end my turn!" Jaden announced. Nagisa gleefully drew her next card, breaking into a mad laugh.

"It's over my dear Shizuma!" Nagisa said with insane glee. "Wicked Avatar, attack Shizuma directly! Dark Giga Slash!"

The demon god began to charge at Shizuma. In that instant, Jaden reacted.

"I activate The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh and summon Winged Kuriboh from my deck!" Jaden announced. The white winged brown fur ball appeared on the field. "Now I activate Transcendent Wings and evolve Winged Kuriboh into Winged Kuriboh LV10!"

In a flash of white light, Winged Kuriboh tripled in size and its wings grew larger. A gold dragon ornament appeared on top of its furry round body.

"Now I activate Winged Kuriboh LV10's special ability!" Jaden announced. "By sacrificing it during my opponent's Battle Phase, Winged Kuriboh LV10 destroys all my opponent's monsters and inflicts damage to my opponent equal to the ATK of the destroyed monsters!"

Winged Kuriboh exploded into a nova of white light that vaporized both The Wicked Avatar and Gagagigo. Nagisa screamed as the shock wave hit her, dropping her life points to zero. When the light cleared, Nagisa fell to the ground unconscious. Shizuma ran towards Nagisa calling her name.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This was actually a pretty fun chapter to write. The theme of Nagisa's deck while under the influence of The Wicked Avatar was rage, so I decided that Berserk Dragon would be a good card to include. Plus I wanted another big monster for Jaden and Shizuma to worry about. As for Shizuma's deck, it sort of wound up being a reflection of Jaden's deck in the manga. Though one of the big differences is that she used the Vision Heroes used by Aster Phoenix instead of Jaden's Masked Heroes. I guess I could've mixed in a few Destiny Heroes too. As for the alternate colors of Shizuma's monsters, I wanted there to be a way to differentiate her monsters from Jaden's. So I just gave a few of them a more feminine color.

Review and let me know what you think.


	21. Villains Unmasked

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

* * *

><p>Chapter 21: Villains Unmasked<p>

Out in front of the Spica stadium, the duel between Jaden, Shizuma, and Nagisa had just ended. Shizuma was cradling an unconscious Nagisa in her arms. She had tried a few times to wake Nagisa up, but was unsuccessful. Tears were beginning to stream down the silver haired girl's cheeks. Jaden felt terrible about what had happened. Just when Shizuma had finally moved on from her dead girlfriend, Kaori, the other girl that Shizuma was in love with was more or less taken from her by the power of a Wicked God. True Nagisa was only in a coma, but there was no telling if the redhead could recover. What was worse for Jaden was that he felt responsible for what happened. Not only had he failed to find The Wicked Avatar before the catastrophe with Nagisa occurred, but it was his card that had finished Nagisa off.

Chikaru, Kizuna, Remon, Kagome, and the ghost of Lyman Banner had watched the duel from in front of the entryway to the stadium, but there was one other person who had been watching as well. Jaden and the others suddenly noticed Miyuki walking towards the distraught Shizuma. Apparently Miyuki had been watching the duel from a spot behind Jaden. Everyone had been too occupied with the duel to notice Miyuki's arrival.

"I'm really sorry that things turned out this way Shizuma." Miyuki said to the silver haired girls as she bent down and removed The Wicked Avatar card from Nagisa's duel disk.

"Miyuki, what are you…?" Shizuma asked, finally noticing the arrival of her old friend. Jaden saw what Miyuki was doing.

"Miyuki put that card down!" Jaden called out. "You don't know how dangerous it is!"

"I know exactly how powerful this card is Mr. Yuki." Miyuki calmly replied. "After all, I've been searching for this card for awhile."

"What're you…?" Jaden began to ask, but he didn't finish his question. He suddenly realized something about Miyuki, a suspicion that he had before. "Wait, you're the one who's been taking the Wicked God cards!"

Jaden's accusation shocked everyone else, including Shizuma. Though Shizuma didn't fully understand what was going on.

"You are correct Mr. Yuki." Miyuki calmly replied with her usual stern expression.

"Why?" Jaden demanded. "What're you planning to do with them?"

"I believe I can answer that question." A voice suddenly answered. Everyone turned to see a man with long light-green hair and light-green eyes in a buttoned up black trench coat and white pants standing in a spot to Jaden's left. An old Kaiba Corp duel disk was on his left arm.

"Who are you?" Jaden asked the stranger. The green haired man ignored him. Miyuki walked up to the stranger and handed him The Wicked Avatar.

"Ah at long last, I once again have all three Wicked Gods." The stranger said as he took the card from Miyuki.

"What on earth is going on out here?" a voice demanded. Everyone turned their attention to the entryway of the stadium and saw Pegasus standing there with the head mistress, along with Hikari, Amane, and Shion.

"Ah Master Pegasus, it's been awhile." The stranger said with a smirk.

"Gekko, is that you?" Pegasus asked in surprise. Jaden immediately remembered the name as the brother of the person who created the Wicked Gods, Yako Tenma.

"Oh Master Pegasus, I see that after all these years you still can't tell my brother and I apart." The green haired stranger commented in an amused tone.

"Yako?" Pegasus asked with a shocked expression. "Impossible! I would've been notified immediately if you had come out of your coma!"

It immediately dawned on Jaden that the stranger was indeed Yako Tenma, and that he was the one after the cards all along. Pegasus did have a point though; he would've been one of the first to know that Yako had recovered from the coma he had been sent into after that duel with his brother. So how was it that Pegasus didn't know?

"I was never in a coma." Tenma commented with a chuckle. "Gekko was the one who lost that duel with me all those years ago. My original plan was to flee right after I had beaten Gekko, but you arrived at the sight of our duel sooner than I expected. So I came up with a backup plan. Gekko and I were both wearing the same thing that day, so I switched our decks right before you entered the room. Frankly I'm not surprised that you thought that Gekko won. You always did see him as the better duelist."

"Well if you're really Yako, than why did you help with locking away the very cards that you created?" a confused Pegasus asked.

"For one thing, I had to keep up the charade." Tenma replied. "After all, you expected my dear brother to help 'clean up my mess.' Besides, at the time I didn't need the cards to carry out my plans. So I let you lock them away while I did more research on a few things, knowing that it would be a relatively easy task to retrieve the cards."

"If it was so easy for you to get these wretched cards back, than why wait until now?" Chikaru asked, cutting into the conversation. "And more importantly, why is Miyuki helping you?"

"Ah, you ask a very good question Ms. Minamoto." Tenma said to Chikaru. "To answer your question, let me remind you that I needed to research a couple of other things. You see creating the Wicked Gods was only the first step in my plans. The duel with my brother was merely a final test run to see how powerful the cards were. They passed that final test, so it came time for me to begin preparations for the next phase. You see I had created the Wicked Gods for two purposes. The first was to avenge Master Pegasus by defeating Yugi Muto. The second purpose of the Wicked Gods is the very reason why Ms. Rokujo has been helping me."

"And just what is this second purpose Miyuki?" Chikaru demanded.

"To bring back Kaori!" Miyuki answered. That answer shocked everyone there except Tenma. Shizuma was especially shocked. She looked at Miyuki as if she had said something in a foreign language that she didn't understand.

"Kaori? As in Kaori Sakuragi, Shizuma's dead Etoile partner?" Chikaru asked in a confused tone. "But she's dead! It's impossible to bring her back!"

"Not with the power that Mr. Tenma has created." Miyuki replied. "With it he can bring back those who have died."

"And just how does this madman Tenma claim to do that?" Shion asked, joining in on the conversation.

"With my R.A. project!" Tenma answered. "R.A. is short for Rebirth of Avatar. It's quite simple really. When a duelist creates their deck, they make it according to their likes and dislikes. The deck essentially becomes a refection of that duelist's self, the duelist's 'soul' if you will. All that needs to be done is to look over all the cards in the deck at once, and a picture of that soul is formed. With the R.A. project I can reproduce that soul from the deck and extract it, essentially bringing that person back to life.

"I had designed this project with brining back Master Pegasus's dearly departed wife in mind. At the moment however, I am uncertain how to do that, since she was never a duelist. Still I needed a test subject, and I was fortunate enough to find that Ms. Rokujo could provide me with one. When I had finished refining my theory for the R.A. project, it came time for me to locate and reclaim the Wicked God cards. It took some effort to find out that they were on Astraea Island, and once I did another small problem came up. After all, this isn't exactly an island where I can walk around unnoticed. So I needed a scout, someone who could roam the island looking for the cards without arousing suspicion. That's where your dear friend Miyuki comes in.

"In the beginning I had done some research on the students of all three academies, looking for someone who I could turn to my cause. In the course of my research I found out about the dead girl, Kaori Sakuragi, and about her dear friend, Shizuma Hanazono. It occurred to me that if those two girls were close, then Ms. Hanazono would do almost anything to bring the girl back. I came to the island in secret, and attempted to get in touch with Ms. Hanazono personally. Instead I ended up being intercepted by Ms. Rokujo. I was very fortunate though that she was a good friend of Ms. Hanazono, and that I was able to convince her to not have me thrown off the island.

"I showed Ms. Rokujo the video documentation of my work on the Wicked Gods. She did indeed comprehend their power. After that I explained the theory of my R.A. project. At first Ms. Rokujo was understandably skeptical, but when I reminded her of the power of the Wicked Gods, which she had more or less witnessed herself, she eventually took a leap of faith and agreed to help me. As it turned out Ms. Rokujo was far more useful than I had ever imagined. The combat training that her father made her undergo when she was younger proved quite effective in retrieving the cards from their defeated wielders."

Everyone who listened to Tenma's tale about how he got Miyuki to help him was rather shocked, especially Shizuma. At that point Miyuki walked over to where Shizima was still holding onto the unconscious Nagisa and knelt down to face her.

"I know that it all sounds unbelievable Shizuma, and that some of the things that I've done might be wrong," Miyuki said calmly to Shizuma, "but everything I've done has been for you. I've always had your best interests at heart, and I've been willing to do anything to see you happy again. I'm sorry about what happened to Ms. Aoi. I never expected this to happen, but I'm certain you'll get over it in time. Once Mr. Tenma brings back Kaori…"

Miyuki's sentence was cut off by a slap in the face from Shizuma, who glared at Miyuki with angry yet tear filled eyes.

"How dare you?" Shizuma asked angrily. "I love Nagisa! I love her perhaps as much as I loved Kaori! And you're telling me to forget about her just because some psycho told you that he could bring Kaori back with some kind of weird dark magic? I've seen what those cards of his can do Miyuki and no good can come from them! Look what they've done to poor Nagisa! I can't believe that you'd put your faith in that madness! I'm not sure I even know you anymore!"

Miyuki stood back up and walked backwards away from Shizuma with a shocked expression on her face.

"Ah, it seems that your friend objects to using the R.A. project to resurrect her dead lover, Ms. Rokujo." Tenma said with a wry expression. "Oh well, I guess I'll just have to find another guinea pig. Perhaps we can convince Ms. Hanazono to let us use the project to reconstruct Ms. Aoi's shattered mind."

"TENMA!" Jaden suddenly shouted after remaining silent for the whole conversation. As Jaden glared at Tenma, his eyes flashed to a bright gold for a moment before glowing in the orange and teal eyes of Yubel.

"Ah the infamous Jaden Yuki. I almost forgot about you." Tenma said finally turning his attention to Jaden. "I have to thank you for helping me collect the Wicked Gods. I'm not sure that Ms. Rokujo would've been strong enough to defeat the wielders that the gods chose."

"Those cards you created have caused nothing but pain and suffering Tenma!" Jaden angrily declared. "Almost everyone they've come in contact with has been hurt by them! Even your own brother! One way or another, I'm going to make you pay!"

"I see…" Tenma said with an arrogant smirk as he shuffled the three Wicked God cards into his deck, along with one other card. "Than perhaps you're willing to try and 'make me pay' by facing me in a duel. I still have one more thing to test out."

"Game on!" Jaden said as he raised his duel disk arm.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> So the villain of this story always was Yako Tenma. The idea of Yako switching places with Gekko came from an episode of Star Trek the Next Generation called "Brothers". I sort of thought that I had made it a little obvious that Miyuki was the one helping Tenma in the later chapters, but no one seemed to catch on. Or at least no one said they did. I haven't gotten a lot of reviews for this story.

So review and let me know what you think, and stay tuned for the next chapter.


	22. The Ultimate Wicked God

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

* * *

><p>Chapter 22: The Ultimate Wicked God<p>

Out in front of the Spica stadium, Jaden was about to face off with the creator of the Wicked Gods, Yako Tenma. What was worse was that Tenma also wielded all three of the Wicked Gods in his deck. Other people had started coming out of the stadium to see what was going on, including Yaya and Tsubomi. The final match of the Etoile Tournament was starting to become far from everyone's minds. Just before the duel was about to begin, Pegasus quickly ran up to Jaden.

"If you're going to try and talk me out of this duel Mr. Pegasus, you're wasting your time." Jaden said without taking his eyes off of Tenma.

"I'm not going to try to stop you. I just wanted to give you something before you faced Yako." Pegasus replied as he took something out of his pocket.

Jaden finally turned to see what the object was and saw that Pegasus was holding a card. It was a Spell card that depicted an old beat up sword that was iron grey in color. The text on the card was written in a language that Jaden couldn't understand, but recognized as the text from the ancient tablet in the church that Pegasus was studying.

"Is this the card that you made to destroy the Wicked Gods?" Jaden asked.

"Yes, but I couldn't translate the text." Pegasus answered. "And when the second Wicked God was taken I decided that there was no choice but to go ahead and make the card without the translation. It seemed to work out when I made The Winged Dragon of Ra, so I thought I'd give it a try and hope for the best."

Jaden took the card from Pegasus and shuffled it into his deck.

"Thanks Mr. Pegasus, I'm sure it will help." Jaden said as he put his deck back into his duel disk.

"Good luck Jaden." Pegasus said as he walked back to the entryway of the stadium to watch the duel.

"And just what card did Master Pegasus give you?" Tenma asked Jaden.

"The card that I'm going to use to beat you!" Jaden proclaimed.

"We'll see about that." Tenma replied. With that, both duelists activated their duel disks. With their life points set to 4000, the duel began. Tenma went first. "First I activate Graceful Charity and draw three cards! Then I discard two!"

Jaden was surprised to see that the two cards that Tenma sent to the Graveyard were The Wicked Eraser and The Wicked Dreadroot. Though it did make a little sense. All three of the Wicked Gods needed three tributes to summon, so it would make sense that Tenma would try to Special Summon them instead.

"If you're thinking that I'm planning to summon the Wicked Gods from the Graveyard, you're mistaken." Tenma said with a sinister smile. "The Wicked Gods can't be Special Summoned in any way."

"Then why send them to the Graveyard?" Jaden asked sounding confused.

"You'll see soon enough." Tenma replied. "I set one card on the field and end my turn!"

Jaden drew his next card. He was eager to finish Tenma off quickly, and thought he had drawn just the card to do that. It seemed that it would be easy since Tenma only had one card on the field. Jaden decided that he needed to finish the duel before Tenma could accomplish whatever he was planning.

"First I activate Ancient Rules and summon Elemental Hero Neos from my hand!" Jaden announced. Jaden's ace hero appeared on the field. "Neos, attack Tenma directly! Wrath of Neos!"

Neos leapt forward into the air and raised his fist to deliver a devastating punch to Tenma.

"I activate my Trap, Negate Attack!" Tenma announced. A small vortex appeared in front of Tenma and pushed Neos back. Jaden was starting to become frustrated.

"Calm down!" Yubel said as she reappeared behind Jaden. "I know you're angry at the guy and that you don't want him summoning those God cards, but don't rush at him blindly like that. Otherwise you'll end up losing."

Jaden realized that Yubel was right. Charging heedlessly at Tenma was a dangerous and reckless move. He was lucky that Tenma's Trap wasn't something worse like Mirror Force. Jaden took a deep breath and looked at his hand. Unfortunately there wasn't much of anything else he could do at the moment.

"I end my turn!" Jaden announced. Tenma drew his next card.

"That was a bold move, but not a good enough move to stop me." Tenma commented. "Don't feel too bad about not being able to beat me however. Soon everyone will know how powerful a duelist I am. Even Master Pegasus will acknowledge my power."

"…So that's what this is all about." Jaden said as something suddenly dawned on him. "You're trying to prove to Mr. Pegasus that you're stronger than your brother! You said so yourself when you said that you weren't surprised that Mr. Pegasus thought that you lost that duel with Gekko!"

"You are right about that." Tenma said chuckling to himself. "Gekko was always Master Pegasus's favorite. In fact everyone including Master Pegasus called my brother 'the perfect duelist,' while I was only a flawed copy. I was always in my brother's shadow, but no more! When this is over I will do what my truly weak brother would never do and avenge Master Pegasus by destroying Yugi Muto, than I will bring back Master Pegasus's departed wife and prove both him and the world how powerful I am!"

"And you're willing to do all that with this dark power?" Jaden asked. "Look at all the pain that those cards have caused! Look at all the people who've hurt by them! Even your brother is lying in a coma because of your Wicked Gods!"

"I have looked at them," Tenam replied coldly, "and all of them are merely sacrifices in the name of progress."

Everyone who was watching the duel from the sidelines that understood everything that was going on was shocked by what Tenma had said. Though none were more shocked than Pegasus. The Duel Monsters creator wanted to say something to Tenma, but he could see that his adopted son had lost most of his reason. Pegasus's only hope now was Jaden.

"Now, for my next move I play the card I just drew, Graceful Charity!" Tenma announced. "I draw three more cards and discard two from my hand!"

Jaden saw that one of the cards that Tenma discarded was The Wicked Avatar. All three Wicked Gods had ended up in the Graveyard. It seemed to Jaden that he was about to find out just what Tenma was planning to do.

"When I said before that the reason I let Master Pegasus lock the Wicked Gods away was because I needed time to work on my R.A. project, that wasn't the only reason." Tenma said ominously. "You see when I originally did my research on the Egyptian God cards, upon which my Wicked Gods are based, I discovered something that Master Pegasus had overlooked when he made the cards. It seemed that the three Egyptian God monsters had a combined form, one that could only be unlocked by the Pharaoh himself. I confirmed this when I researched the Sacred Beast cards and found out about their combined form."

Jaden knew exactly what Tenma was talking about. The three Sacred Beast cards that were locked away at his old academy did have the ability to merge together into a Fusion monster called Armityle the Chaos Phantom. Jaden had faced that monster himself in a duel.

"The Sacred Beats are the shadow versions of the Egyptian God cards, a mirror image of sorts." Tenma continued. "It made sense that if the Sacred Beasts had a fused form, than so would the Egyptian Gods. So I worked long and hard until at last I created the fused form for my Wicked Gods."

"A Wicked God Fusion monster?" Jaden asked in shock.

"That's right!" Tenma exclaimed. "And you're about to witness its arrival! I remove from my Graveyard The Wicked Eraser, The Wicked Dreadroot, and The Wicked Avatar to merge them into The Creator God of Shadows, Zorc!"

The sky became covered by thick black clouds as a purple column of light appeared briefly behind Tenma as it shot up into the air, vanishing to reveal the brown dragon that was The Wicked Eraser, the green demon that was The Wicked Dreadroot, and the black sphere that was The Wicked Avatar. The Wicked Avatar suddenly expanded outward and engulfed the other two gods. At that point the black sphere began to twist, contract, and even change color until finally transforming into a completely different monster. The monster in question was a fifty foot humanoid demon that was well muscled and had dark purple skin. On the demon's face was a sort of horned mask that was silver in color. The demon was dressed in the attire of an Egyptian Pharaoh, complete with a cobra hood headdress and a red flowing cape. Hanging from a rope around the demon's neck was a giant silver version of the Millennium Ring.

Suddenly Tenma broke into a fit of mad laughter. Jaden noticed that the color of Tenma's eyes had changed from light green to pitch-black.

"Behold, the ultimate Wicked God has arrived!" Tenma proclaimed. "At long last I have the power to completely and utterly destroy Yugi Muto! Nothing can stand against the power of Zorc!"

Everyone who was watching seemed to be horrified by the sight of Tenma's ultimate Wicked God. Suddenly the air was filled with the laughter of a low demonic voice. Jaden and a few others looked up to see that the laughter was coming from Tenma's monster, Zorc.

"At long last!" the demon god cried after he finished laughing. "I… live… AGAIN!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> So as you can see I made up a Wicked God fusion monster for this story. As you've probably guessed, this fusion monster is another version of Zorc from the original series. It's probably not the most original move in writing a Yu-Gi-Oh! story, but at the time of this story's conception it seemed like the best thing to do.

Review and let me know what you think.


	23. Evil Reborn

**Author's Note:** As you've probably guessed, we're getting into the final chapters of this story. So I thought I'd go ahead and add this one.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

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><p>Chapter 23: Evil Reborn<p>

Things had gotten bad in the duel between Jaden and Yako Tenma. Not only had Tenma merged all three of the Wicked Gods into a powerful Fusion monster, but that Fusion monster also spoke. It was clear to Jaden that the monster Tenma had summoned was not an ordinary card. Tenma had brought forth a malevolent power of some kind. Jaden wasn't the only one who heard Zorc speak. Everyone else heard him too, everyone except for Tenma that is. He seemed completely unaware of everything but the duel.

"At last, reborn after all this time!" Zorc exclaimed. "Now the modern world shall tremble at my feet!"

"What are you?" Jaden asked the fifty-foot demon god.

"I am the reincarnation of Zorc Necrophades." The demon explained.

"Zorc Necrophades? That's the demon that the Nameless Pharaoh fought thousands of years ago!" Banner told Jaden from the sidelines.

"Thousands of years ago, and again in the modern age when the Pharaoh reawakened his memories." Zorc added. "The second time that we fought, my original self was destroyed when the Pharaoh fused the Egyptian God cards into The Creator God of Light, Horakhty."

"So how exactly have you come back?" Jaden demanded.

"You can thank my little puppet Tenma for that." Zorc answered as he pointed a clawed finger down at Jaden's opponent. "When he created the three Wicked God cards, he not only based them on the Pharaoh's three Egyptian God monsters, but also on my original self."

"Wait, so the Wicked Gods are really based on the demon that the Nameless Pharaoh fought in ancient Egypt?" Jaden asked in surprise.

"That is correct mortal." Zorc answered. "And when Tenma created the Wicked Gods, he inadvertently resurrected me in three separate incarnations. The Wicked Eraser is the incarnation of my cunning, The Wicked Dreadroot is the incarnation of my ruthlessness, and The Wicked Avatar is the incarnation of my wrath, the formless essence of my hatred. These incarnations were able to easily manipulate Tenma. It helped that he also carried a hatred of Yugi Muto, the vessel for the spirit of the Pharaoh who destroyed me. Eventually Tenma finally created the Fusion monster that united my three incarnations. Now I am whole again, and in a Duel Monster form that parallels Horakhty no less."

"So now that you're back, what do you plan to do?" Jaden asked.

"Simple, my plan is to cover this world in eternal darkness and shadow as I had planed to do thousands of years ago!" Zorc replied. "And the best part is that brat Pharaoh Atem is no longer around to stop me!"

Down on the sidelines, Miyuki was standing near Shizuma and watching the duel with a horrified expression.

"So this is the power that you put your faith in Miyuki?" Shizuma coldly asked her old friend, with Shizuma still cradling Nagisa in her arms. "This is what you were willing to sacrifice Nagisa for?"

Miyuki didn't answer. She only looked up at Zorc in horror, realizing that she had made a huge mistake in helping Tenma.

"Pharaoh Atem might not be around anymore to stop you, but I am!" Jaden proclaimed.

"And just how do you expect to stop me mortal?" Zorc asked mockingly. "You're nothing but a powerless human."

"I may be human, but I'm not powerless!" Jaden responded as he briefly flashed his Yubel eyes. "Don't underestimate me Zorc!"

"I see, so you aren't an ordinary human." Zorc observed. "This should make things interesting. Now let's continue this Shadow Game! My puppet Tenma will explain the power of my new form."

"I activate Zorc's effect!" Tenma announced as if he was completely oblivious to the conversation that Jaden just had with Zorc. "Zorc rolls a six-sided die! If the result is a four, five, or six, I must skip my Battle Phase, but if the result is a one, two or three, all monsters on my opponent's side of the field are destroyed! And I should also mention that Zorc has 5000 ATK!"

"5000 ATK? That'll finish Jaden off in one blow!" Yaya exclaimed from the sidelines.

Appearing in Zorc's right claw was a large red six-sided die that was small in comparison to Zorc. Zorc dropped the die from his hand. It rolled in the air before hitting the ground with a loud thud. The number on the side of the die that was face up was a five.

"It seems you are safe for one more turn mortal." Zorc said in an amused tone. "Let's see what pitiful defense you shall try to put up."

"I set two cards on the field and end my turn!" Tenma announced.

As Jaden drew his next card, he knew that he needed to somehow destroy Zorc as soon a possible. He looked at the card that he just drew, and was pleased to find that not only was the card he drew an old friend of his, but it was also just what he needed.

"Neos, attack Zorc!" Jaden commanded. "Wrath of Neos!"

"Has Jaden gone nuts? Zorc is twice as strong as Neos!" Kizuna exclaimed from the sidelines as Neos leapt into the air.

"Now I send Honest from my hand to the Graveyard!" Jaden announced. "Now, because Neos is a Light monster, he gains the ATK of his opponent during the battle!"

"That means that Neos is now stronger than Zorc!" Remon exclaimed happily.

As Neos leapt into the air, a pair of white angelic wings appeared on his back. With his new wings, Neos flew high into the air and delivered a punch to Zorc's demon face. The force of the punch was so strong it caused a huge explosion. Almost everyone watching began to cheer, but when the dust and smoke had cleared, they were all horrified to see that Zorc was still standing without a scratch.

"A valiant attempt mortal." Zorc said with an evil laugh. "But not good enough."

"How the heck did you survive?" a shocked Jaden asked.

"I activated my Trap, Waboku!" Tenma explained. "This card negates all damage and monster destruction in battle!"

Neos flew back down to Jaden's side of the field. The hero's white wings disappeared as he landed. A look of frustration was on Jaden's face.

"I set one monster on the field and end my turn!" Jaden announced reluctantly. Tenma mindlessly drew his next card with an insane grin.

"I activate Zorc's effect!" Tenma announced. The red die appeared again in Zorc's right claw.

"Time once again to decide your fate mortal!" Zorc said as he dropped the die onto the field. The rolled die landed with the six facing up.

"Yay! Jaden's safe for another turn!" Tsubomi exclaimed joyfully.

"Not so fast! I activate my other Trap, Dice Re-Roll!" Tenma announced. "This lets me negate the result of a rolled die and roll it again!"

The red die disappeared from the field and reappeared in Zorc's claw. Zorc dropped the die back on to the field, and everyone was horrified to see that the result was a one. The die suddenly exploded with a flash of purple light, leaving Jaden's side of the field completely exposed.

"Zorc, attack Jaden directly!" Tenma commanded.

"Zorc Inferno!" the demon god cried as he sent a maelstrom of fire from his hands at Jaden. Everyone watched in horror as Jaden disappeared into the firestorm.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> I ended up making Zorc's monster effect as en enhanced version of the Dark Master-Zorc Ritual monster. Not very imaginative I know, but I do like that card. I'll leave things off here for now. This seems like an exciting enough cliffhanger.

Stay tuned for the final chapter. In the meantime, review and let me know what you think.


	24. Death To the Demon God!

**Author's Note:** Since this is the final chapter I thought I'd go ahead and add it. I'm also adding the epilogue too.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

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><p>Chapter 24: Death to the Demon God! The Card Awakened by Love!<p>

The duel between Jaden and Tenma had turned into disaster. The spectators that had slowly gathered outside to watch the duel were horrified to see Jaden swallowed by the flames of Tenma's Wicked God Fusion monster, The Creator God of Shadows, Zorc. It looked as if the duel was all over. Zorc laughed in delight, as it seemed that the flames of his evil were roasting Jaden alive. When the fire finally cleared however, everyone was quite surprised see Jaden unharmed, and with all of his life points intact.

"Impossible! How did you survive?" the shocked demon god demanded.

"The monster I set on the field during my last turn was Winged Kuriboh!" Jaden explained with a smirk as he pulled the monster cards out of the Graveyard slot of his duel disk. "When Winged Kuriboh is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I take no damage during that turn!"

"I end my turn!" Tenma announced. Jaden drew his next card.

"First I activate Pot of Greed and draw two more cards!" Jaden announced. He smiled after seeing the two cards that he had drawn. "Next I activate O-Oversoul and summon Neos back from the Graveyard!"

The white costumed hero of space reappeared on the field in a flash of light.

"Next I activate Polymerization!" Jaden announced. "I fuse Neos on my field with Yubel in my hand into Neos Wiseman!"

Jaden's eyes flashed back into their Yubel colors and a long shadow stretched from Jaden's feet onto the battlefield until they touched the feet of Neos. In an instant Neos's costume transformed. His upper body hand arms turned black. There were brown scaly patches on the biceps of Neos's arms, and black spikes protruding up from his shoulders. Neos's mask changed significantly as well. The lower half disappeared revealing purple skin like the skin of Yubel's face. The white horn on his forehead disappeared along with his eyes, being replaced by a large orange Cyclops eye. From the sides of Neos's head grew a pair of long bat-like wings.

"I see, so you've summoned your avatar into the duel." Zorc observed. "A pity that it still isn't strong enough to destroy me."

"Maybe not, but Neos Wiseman can't be destroyed by card effects!" Jaden explained. "Meaning your dice effect can't touch it! I lay down a facedown and end my turn!"

"Your avatar may be immune to my effect, but not to my strength!" Zorc proclaimed as Tenma drew his next card.

"Zorc, attack Neos Wiseman!" Tenma commanded.

"Zorc Inferno!" the demon god cried as he launched another storm of flames from his claws.

"I activate my Trap, Negate Attack!" Jaden announced. The firestorm was sucked into a small vortex that appeared just in front of Neos. It seemed like five minutes before the vortex had sucked in all of the flames.

"You are starting to annoy me mortal!" Zorc exclaimed with a touch of irritation in his voice.

"I end my turn!" Tenma announced.

Back on the sidelines, Shizuma had only been half watching the duel. Her primary concern was Nagisa. She was breathing but still in a coma. Shizuma didn't care about anything else except Nagisa. She didn't care if Jaden lost the duel or if Zorc turned the world to ashes. Nothing mattered as long as Nagisa wasn't awake. Shizuma kept thinking that if only she had figured out her feelings out sooner, Nagisa wouldn't have ended up getting hurt. Suddenly, Nagisa began to stir and open her eyes.

"Nagisa, you're awake!" Shizuma exclaimed as tears of happiness began to run down her face. "I was afraid that you would never wake up. Are you okay?"

"My head really hurts, but other than that I think I'm okay." Nagisa replied weakly. "I also remember parts of that duel we had. Shizuma… did you really mean what you said to me back there? Do you really love me?"

"Yes Nagisa, I do!" Shizuma replied with a tearful smile. "And I'm sorry that I didn't realize it sooner. I was so busy comparing you to Kaori that I didn't see you for who you really are. Now that I've stopped doing that I've realized that you've given my life meaning again."

"I… love you too Shizuma." Nagisa replied as tears of happiness beginning to well up in her own eyes. "And I'm so sorry that I tried to hurt you in that duel. I was just so mad at you for rejecting me, and that weird card seemed to make me go crazy."

"It's alright Nagisa. I deserved a lot of the punishment you gave me." Shizuma replied. "Nagisa… if you want, I'd like for us to start over again."

"I'd love that." Nagisa replied. Shizuma leaned in closer to Nagisa's face and the two kissed.

At the exact moment of Shizuma and Nagisa's kiss, the top card on Jaden's deck began to glow with a golden light, greatly surprising Jaden and causing Zorc to glance down and quirk his brow. It was Jaden's turn, so he drew the card from his deck. The sound of a sword being removed from his sheath could be heard as the card was drawn. The glowing card that Jaden drew was the card that Pegasus had given him before the duel. A few lines of text suddenly appeared on the card's illustration. At first it was written in the same unknown language that was on the original stone tablet, but then transformed into a language that Jaden could read.

_This sword hath been forged by love's fire_

_The armies of darkness it did slay_

_The power hatred shall expire_

_The darkness shall be turned to bright day_

Right after Jaden read the poetic couplet that appeared on the card, it flashed brightly and changed into a new card. The text on the card was written in a language that Jaden could read. The illustration on the card had changed as well. Instead of an old iron sword the card depicted an elegant French rapier with a gold crossguard and handle. The center of the crossguard was adorned with a large red heart-shaped stone, while the two ends were shaped like gold wings. On one side a third wing extended over the handle to form protection for the hand. Jaden wondered what caused the card to change until he glanced over at where Shizuma and Nagisa were still kissing. Then he remembered the story that Pegasus had told him about the sword and how two young lovers had used the sword to destroy an army of evil. It occurred to Jaden that it might have been Shizuma and Nagisa's love for each other was what had completed the card. However the card had been completed, it was just what Jaden needed to destroy Zorc once and for all.

"I activate Sword of Love-Hero Heart!" Jaden announced as he placed the newly completed card into his duel disk.

A ray of light suddenly burst through the black clouds over where Jaden was standing, causing Zorc to raise his right arm in order to shield his eyes. From the opening in the clouds dropped the very sword depicted on the card that Jaden had just played. The sword landed in front of Neos with the blade sticking out of the ground.

"Sword of Love-Hero Heart can only be equipped to a Warrior or Spellcaster-type monster, which makes it perfect for Neos Wiseman!" Jaden explained.

Neos walked over to the sword, drew it from the ground, and tested it by slashing the air.

"Just what power does this sword provide?" Zorc asked with a quirked brow.

"Well for one thing the monster that Hero Heart is equipped to can't be destroyed in battle with a Dark Fiend or Zombie-type monster!" Jaden explained. "But that's not all! When the equipped monster battles a Dark Fiend or Zombie-type monster, that monster is destroyed and my opponent takes damage equal to its ATK!"

"And since Zorc has 5000 ATK, that means Jaden would win the duel with just one attack!" Chikaru exclaimed from the sidelines in realization.

"Neos Wiseman, destroy Zorc and end this darkness!" Jaden commanded. "Love & Justice Blade!"

Neos leapt into the air and flew towards Zorc, the blade of his sword glowed with a brilliant white light.

"Impossible! No sword can destroy me!" Zorc proclaimed as he launched another firestorm from his claws.

Neos emerged from the flames unharmed. As soon as he was in striking distance, Neos plunged the blade of his sword into the vicinity of where Zorc's heart would be, assuming that the demon god actually had one. Zorc roared in pain as he was stabbed. Cracks of white light began to spread from where the sword had pierced him. Neos soon pulled out his sword and flew back down to the ground. The cracks continued to spread until they covered Zorc's body.

"Love triumphs over hate every time Zorc!" Jaden proclaimed as he did his trademark victory pose to the dying demon god. "That's game!"

With one final roar, Zorc exploded into a binding nova of white light. Tenma screamed in pain as the shock wave from the nova hit him, causing his life points to plummet all the way from 4000 to zero. The light soon faded and the sky was once again clear and bright. Tenma fell to the ground unconscious. As he fell, the three Wicked God cards and the card for Zorc fluttered to the ground and burst into flames. The Wicked Gods and the reincarnation of Zorc Necrophades were no more. Jaden walked over to where Shizuma and Nagisa were.

"Uh, I think this card really belongs to you guys. I'll explain why later." Jaden said as he held out the Sword of Love-Hero Heart card to Shizuma. A slightly confused Shizuma thanked Jaden as she took the card from him.

* * *

><p>Things began to calm down a bit after the duel. Because Nagisa and Tamao were obviously unable to compete in the final duel of the Etoile Tournament, Hikari and Amane were declared the winners by default and awarded the position of Etoile. Nagisa, Tamao, and Tenma were all taken to the Miator infirmary. Shizuma remained with Nagisa the whole time. Jaden waited outside the infirmary leaning against the wall next to the door. He glanced down the hall and saw Miyuki approaching.<p>

"Hello Mr. Yuki." Miyuki greeted with an expression of shame on her face. "I've come to see how Ms. Aoi is doing."

"The doctors are still looking her over, but they all think she'll be fine." Jaden replied a bit coldly. "As for Tamao and Tenma, they haven't woken up yet."

"I see…" Miyuki replied looking down at the floor.

"Have you come to see Shizuma?" Jaden asked. "She's in there with Nagisa right now."

"I can't face Shizuma right now." Miyuki answered. "You should believe me however that the only reason why I helped Mr. Tenma was because I was willing to do anything to make Shizuma happy again. She is my closest friend. I was so convinced that the only way to make Shizuma happy again was to bring back Kaori that I completely ignored how Shizuma felt about Nagisa. In the end though, I was only a pawn for a demon. I can't face Shizuma again until I find some way to make this up to her. I'll be leaving now."

"Do you want me to tell Shizuma that you were here?" Jaden asked.

"Only if you wish to." Miyuki answered as she walked away.

* * *

><p>After the combined excitement of both the Etoile Tournament and the duel between Jaden and Tenma, the head mistress of the three academies decided to declare a week off from all classes. The doctors found nothing wrong with Nagisa, but they did strongly recommend that she rested for the week off. Shizuma decided to take Nagisa back to her villa on the island for that week. Shizuma asked Jaden to go with them, partly as thanks for his help saving Nagisa from The Wicked Avatar, and partly to help Shizuma take care of Nagisa during the week. Jaden accepted the invitation.<p>

Jaden was fairly impressed by Shizuma's villa. It wasn't very large, but it was quite luxurious. Shizuma put Nagisa in the room that Miyuki normally stayed in when she was there, while Jaden stayed downstairs on the couch. During the first couple of days at the villa, Shizuma was running herself ragged taking care of Nagisa. Jaden was concerned because Shizuma was getting very little sleep. One afternoon Jaden went into Nagisa's room to check on her, inadvertently waking the redhead up.

"Jaden? What're you doing here?" Nagisa asked drowsily.

"Sorry, I'm just here to check on you. I didn't mean to wake you up." Jaden replied.

"Where's Shizuma?" Nagisa asked.

"She's downstairs getting a bite to eat." Jaden replied with a worried smile.

"Is something wrong?" Nagisa asked.

"Nothing, it's just that Shizuma hasn't been getting much sleep the past few days." Jaden replied.

"I see…" Nagisa replied with a worried expression. Suddenly an idea struck the redhead. "Jaden… could you ask Shizuma to come up here please?"

"No problem. I'll se if she's done eating." Jaden replied, and with that he left the room. About two minutes later, Shizuma entered the room.

"Is something wrong?" Shizuma asked in a worried tone.

"Well… I'm not sure if I can get back to sleep after Jaden woke me up accidentally." Nagisa answered nervously. "Do you think that… you could get into bed with me? At least until I fall asleep?"

Shizuma smiled warmly at the redhead. Still fully dressed, Shizuma got into bed on Nagisa's left side and turned to face her, putting her arm over Nagisa at the same time. Nagisa's heart began to pound like a jackhammer. She and Shizuma had never slept in the same bed before. Nagisa's face began to turn bright red.

"This is nice…" Shizuma said just before drifting off to sleep. Nagisa smiled because her plan to get Shizuma to get some rest had worked. Just as Nagisa was about to drift back to sleep herself, Shizuma started mumbling something. "Nagisa… don't leave me."

With those words, Nagisa felt as if her heart was about to fly out of her chest. She was very happy to hear that Shizuma didn't want her to leave, even if Shizuma was only talking in her sleep.

"I won't leave you, I promise." Nagisa whispered back. With those words, Shizuma unconsciously pulled Nagisa closer to her. Nagisa took in every sensation that she was feeling in that moment, Shizuma's sent, the warmth of her body, the feeling of Shizuma's breath against her own face. As Nagisa took it all in, she realized that she was the happiest and most content that she had been in quite a while. At last, Nagisa drifted back to sleep.

* * *

><p>From that moment on, Nagisa's recovery seemed to go faster. Jaden also noticed a distinct change in Shizuma as well. The silver haired girl actually seemed happy. During the first few nights at the villa, Jaden entertained Shizuma and Nagisa with the stories of his exploits at his old academy. He told them about the Shadow Riders and the Society of Light, and about the journey he took into the Duel Monster dimension to save his friend, Jessie Anderson. Jaden also told them of his final battle with the demon Nightshroud that happened just before he graduated.<p>

During the final night at the villa, Shizuma asked Jaden to go sleep in the tool shed out behind the house. Apparently Shizuma wanted to spend the last night there completely alone with Nagisa, so Jaden didn't object. It was a fairy well sized shed, and even had a cot that Jaden could sleep on. The shed actually reminded Jaden of the Slifer Red dorms at his old academy. Though he had to admit that his old dorm was much nicer, and didn't smell like fertilizer.

Not long after classes resumed on the island, both Tamao and Tenma came out of their comas. The last thing that Tenma remembered when he woke up was challenging his twin brother to a duel with the Wicked Gods. Pegasus took the opportunity to clear a few things up with Tenma. As for Shizuma and Nagisa, they were often seen together outside of class. Their relationship had become a source of gossip for all three schools.

About two months before the end of the school year, it came time for Jaden, Pegasus, and Tenma to leave the island. Jaden was sad to be leaving behind all of the friends that he had made on the island, but he was also glad to be getting back on the road again. It was time he set off on another adventure. Jaden said goodbye to everyone before getting in the helicopter. As the helicopter flew away, Jaden took one last look at the island and hoped that he would see all of his friends on Astraea Island again one day.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> So that pretty much wraps up this story, except for the epilogue which is also up. I'm sorry if this ending was a little cheesy. I started reading The Lord of the Rings when I wrote this chapter, which is where I got the idea for the little poem that appeared in here. Poetry isn't really my thing, but I thought I'd try it anyway.

Review and let me know what you think, or you can just proceed to the epilogue.


	25. Epilogue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Strawberry Panic.

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><p>Epilogue<p>

Three months after the events that occurred on Astraea Island, Jaden was in Paris France, waiting outside of the Eiffel Tower to meet some friends. The friends that Jaden was waiting for had invited him to a special tournament being held in the city. As Jaden waited, he reflected on a few of the things that had happened after the incident with the Wicked Gods. Jaden had heard from Pegasus that not long after the Wicked Gods and Zorc were destroyed, Yako Tenma's twin brother Gekko had finally come out of the coma that he had been in for years. The two brothers had made up and according to Pegasus were starting a project together. Yako had gotten the idea for a brand new type of monster card that would be summoned by combining the levels of two weaker monsters. Jaden thought that it sounded like the Synchro monsters used by that duelist from the future that Jaden had met once, Yusei Fudo. Both brothers went down to South America to begin the project.

Jaden had also heard about some of the things going on back on Astraea Island from a letter from Chikaru that he had received about a month and a half before. A few things had changed on the island. For one thing, Yaya and Tsubomi had apparently become quite the item. Jaden was glad to hear that Yaya had gotten over Hikari. The other big change was that since Miyuki had graduated, Tamao had been elected the new student council president of Miator. As for Shizuma and Nagisa, that was a more interesting story. Shizuma had also graduated at the end of the year that Jaden battled the Wicked Gods, but she was able to take Nagisa with her. Before she graduated, Miyuki had gotten Nagisa into a study abroad program that would allow her to travel with Shizuma. It was apparently the least that Miyuki could do to make up for helping Tenma to collect the Wicked Gods.

"Jaden, is that you?" a voice suddenly said, stirring Jaden from his thoughts. Jaden turned to see that the one who spoke was a tall and rather well endowed young woman with medium length brown hair. Jaden recognized her immediately as his old friend, Alexis Rhodes.

"Wow, Alexis! This is a surprise!" Jaden greeted. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm actually on vacation." Alexis answered. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me that you're here to participate in the Versailles Tournament!"

"Actually I am." Jaden laughed. "I was invited there by a couple of friends."

"That tournament is the hard to get into!" Alexis exclaimed. "You must have some kind of friends!"

"Hey, what's that you're holding?" Jaden asked indicating a magazine that Alexis was holding in her right hand.

"Oh, this is just the latest issue of Duelist Monthly." Alexis answered as she held up the publication. The picture on the cover was a familiar blond girl and blue haired tomboy. "The top article is about this duo from the St. Spica duel academy that's been heating up the tag duel circuit. People are starting to say that they're unbeatable."

"I'm glad to see that Hikari and Amane are doing well for themselves." Jaden said with a smile.

"Wait, do you know those two?" Alexis asked in surprise.

"Yeah, it's a long story." Jaden replied.

"Sorry we're late." A voice suddenly said.

Jaden and Alexis turned to see Shizuma and Nagisa standing before them and holding hands. Shizuma was wearing a denim jacket, blue jeans, and a purple top, while Nagisa was wearing a simple pink dress and a blue jacket. Both girls had on their duel disks.

"Hey guys." Jaden greeted. "Glad you could show up."

"Who's your friend Jaden?" Nagisa asked.

"Oh, this an old friend from my old academy, Alexis Rhodes." Jaden introduced. "Alexis, these are the two friends I came here to meet up with, Shizuma Hanazono and Nagisa Aoi."

"So this is the Alexis that you've told us so much about. She's not bad looking, but not as beautiful as my Nagisa." Shizuma said, looking Alexis over. Nagisa blushed fiercely at Shizuma's comment. "Well, since you have a friend with you, why don't all four of us have a duel? You and Alexis against Nagisa and I."

"What do say Alexis, think we can take on these two lovebirds?" Jaden asked.

"Lovebirds?" Alexis asked with a raised eyebrow. Though after a moment she realized what Jaden was talking about and shrugged it off. "Sure, why not?"

With that, the four duelists activated their duel disks and prepared to face off.

THE END

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> So that concludes Strawberry Crisis. This probably wasn't the best thing I've ever written. I will admit that putting a yuri series into a Yu-Gi-Oh! story was probably one of my weirder ideas. Still, it was a fun story to write. By the way, that bit about the Tenma brothers supposedly being the creators of Synchro monsters came from the cards that Yako used in Yu-Gi-Oh! R. Aside from the Wicked Gods he used cards that involved messing with monster levels.

I hope you've enjoyed reading this story. Please review and let me know what you think.


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